Anthar Yahia scored the solitary goal against Egypt in the 40th minute. You’ve got a say, a central defender doesn’t get to score such a cracking goal all too often. The fact that it sent Algeria to South Africa was just the cherry on top.

Zlatko Dedic’s goal came in the 44th minute and helped Slovenia to equalize on aggregate (2-2) and get in front on away goals. Russia did too little in the first half, and when they were ready to up the pressure they lost Kerzhakov to a stupid red card. Another red for Zhirkov in the 90th minute capped off a miserable night for Russia and Guus Hiddink. Hats off to Slovenia though.

One of These Players is not Like the Others

Answer: Didi Hamann. All other players were transfers from Karlsruhe to Bayern, while Hamann came through Bayern’s youth system for a change.
Kudos to: BVBFan and Luke
Honorable Mentions: Luke also correctly suggested that only Mehmet Scholl is a disastrous 3. Liga coach and half a point to Laurie for spotting Sternkopf’s infamous mullet.

One of These Players is not Like the Others #2

I have to admit that my selection of players was too ambiguous.
Answer: Grafite. All other players won the Golden Boot or whatever award is handed out to a league’s leading goalscorer in the Bundesliga and another league…
Márcio Amoroso – Serie A and Bundesliga.
Luca Toni – Serie A and Bundesliga.
Marek Mintal – Slovak Superliga and Bundesliga.
Grafite – Bundesliga only.
Kudos to: nobody
Honorable Mentions: Luke was correct that except for Mintal all also won the Bundesliga. Joe made a good case why Amoroso is the odd one out.

Name the Player #6

Answer: Werder Bremen’s Torsten Frings
Kudos to: clash and Juliet

Name the Player #7

Answer: Werder Bremen’s Marko Marin
Kudos to: Country

I was fully engaged in my typical football fan mindset.

Three days later my mind was someplace else – or the same place turned numb and sad. Teresa Enke had given a remarkable press conference. Under tears, she openly talked about her husband’s struggle with depression for the past six years, his anxieties and self-perceived failure. In another press conference Oliver Bierhoff announced that the friendly between Germany and Chile had been cancelled. I always thought of Bierhoff as that squeaky clean superficial marketing guy, who had turned Germany’s Euro campaign into a mountain tour and is sure to turn South Africa into a safari, trying to manufacture emotions around a common theme for sponsors to exploit. When he broke out in tears it was real.

I kept thinking about a former classmate of mine. Philipp moved to our high school for the last three years leading up to graduation. He had been at our school once before in fifth and sixth grade. He hung around with a group of friends then, who all eventually moved schools, cities or countries. When he came back he became a loner. We all had settled down in our cliques – not actively seeking new members. He was a nice and friendly guy – calm and quiet. When he talked, you sometimes had to fear he might stumble over his own words. He was an average student, neither excelling or failing in a particular subject. He did a lot of endurance sports. When we organized the renovation of the recreation room for the pupils, he was one of only two who volunteered to help out. He would pop up at parties here and then. We moved along with him in the background. He wasn’t bullied or made fun of. We greeted him with a friendly smile in the morning or said goodbye by noon, asked him for a pen or about homework and we ignored him. It wasn’t until our prom, that we learned what a great piano player he was. He received standing ovations and then we said goodbye and went our separate ways. Our high school organizes annual reunions around Christmas with the usual suspects showing up each year. Philipp only stopped by once. He sat a bit outside of the pile. I spotted him talking to another classmate of mine and walked over to him. The first thing I noticed was the pack of cigarettes in his shirt pocket and was surprised that he had started smoking. He talked about his social anxiety and the therapy he just completed. His openness and honesty with which he talked about his “flaws” and “weaknesses” was striking. It contrasted heavily with the setting. With people presenting a selective image of themselves – one which is about achievements and plans to achieve something and not about failure. I wondered whether I should ask him, if he’d like to hang out for a drink or go to the cinema sometime. I thought it might be tacky or apologetic. I thought he might not be interested anyway. I feared awkwardness. I wondered what my friends might think. I wasn’t really keen on the extra effort. I kept my thoughts and invitation to myself. Six months later I received message that Philipp had committed suicide. I was shocked and devastated. I kept going over the last time I met him again and again. I talked a lot with my friends from school, with each of us trying to contribute little bits of information. His mother and sister both had cancer, but they were recovering. I learned about depression as an illness and not something used to describe the eccentricities of a rock or movie star. We couldn’t come up with any answers, and the picture was only marginally clearer. All the talking helped a lot though.

I aimlessly surfed around the net. Articles kept repackaging and publishing the same few pieces of a very incomplete puzzle over and over again. I read about the death of Robert Enke’s two year old daughter Lara, his adopted daughter Leila, his time at Benfica, his struggles at Barcelona, his return to form at Hannover, his sanctuary for dogs and his friendly and humble character. Only a few stood out. I knew most of these things already. The best parts were usually written in the comment sections under the actual articles with people coming together to express heartfelt condolences, talk about their own struggles with depression or how they lost a friend or loved one under similarly tragic circumstances. The odd sick tasteless remark and joke made sure, I wouldn’t forget I was still on the Internet.

Yesterday, one week after leading his team mates onto the pitch as a captain in front of a boisterous sell out crowd, Robert Enke returned to Hannover’s stadium one last time. The place was packed again as people gathered to mourn and say their goodbyes. Robert Enke was later buried in a private ceremony next to his daughter Lara. His burial was a final farewell and a signal that slowly but surely life will go on. The match between Germany and Ivory Coast will take place on Wednesday. Hannover travel to Schalke on Saturday. There is the distinct wish and need though, that life won’t just return to its’ former rules and rituals. A lot has been written to raise awareness of depression, to remove its’ stigma and to pledge for a better way of treating each other. Theo Zwanziger, the chief of Germany’s FA, announced that they want to get involved to help the cause. A lot less if anything will be written, said and done about it in two weeks time. After Philipp had died, we also eventually returned to our lifes. We had a new experience burned into our minds. But, nothing had changed except for those closest to him. The big question, with a potentially sad or encouraging answer, is, whether one year from now it will be any different for Robert Enke?
 

“German international goalkeeper Robert Enke has been killed after being hit by a train at a level crossing, police said on Tuesday. Police said that the death could be a suicide.” – AFP

Words fail me.

Philipp Lahm. Bayern’s disappointing draw at home against Schalke. Robben’s moment of madness for which he should have seen a red card. Luca Toni’s early departure from the Allianz Arena. All the possible talking points that Saturday’s game delivered were completely overshadowed by one simple thing: The Truth. Bayern’s reaction: a heavy monetary fine and the promise that Philipp Lahm will be the captain of the team one day.

Michael Skibbe. At the beginning of the season Frankfurt’s new coach tried to breath new life into an old diva, who had dumped drama for fiscal responsibility, a bun and a job in the local library. He did so with an overabundance of positive rhetoric. He talked up the players and the club and promised attractive attacking football. 12 matches later everyone in Frankfurt came to the realization, that they are nonetheless still looking at the same old players, club and football. The humiliating defeat against Leverkusen now prompted Michael Skibbe to swing to the other side of the extreme and start doom mongering. In post match interviews and press conferences he lashed out in all directions. He questioned the quality of the players, the composition of the squad, the scouting, the club and pretty much everything and everybody. He predicted that the club will move backwards if things stay as they are. His outburst and consequently his possible motives left the fans and press in Frankfurt puzzled. Was he looking to provoke his dismissal or preparing his resignation? Skibbe later rejected such suggestions, stating he is happy to be Frankfurt’s coach but that he wants to change things and move the club in the right direction. Frankfurt’s management is so far keeping a low profile and did not comment on Skibbe’s accusations/suggestions. For anyone with a soft spot for clubs living the wallflower life, it’ll interesting to see what happens next in Frankfurt.

Historical Revisionism. In light of recent events, Bayern’s performance in their DFB-Pokal match against Eintracht Frankfurt needs to be re-evaluated. It wasn’t one of Bayern’s best games this season. It was pretty much in line with the other games. After all, Bayern needed a full 14 minutes to score the first goal and another 15 minutes to score two more. 14 minutes into Bayer Leverkusen’s game against Frankfurt, the Werkself was meanwhile ready to call it a day and head to the showers, after Kroos had made it 3-0 in the 11th minute.

History Repeating. It’s a cherished Bundesliga tradition for Bayer Leverkusen to be in an excellent position in the table at this point of a season. In the past, that was always the cue for Bayern Munich to ground the perennial runner-ups with a humbling defeat, to remind them of their place in the Bundesliga food chain. Bayer’s visit to the Allianz Arena in two weeks should give us a good idea about whether legs will turn to jelly once agin, or whether Jupp Heynckes’ Leverkusen side has what it takes to mount a serious title challenge.

Schalke 04. Schalke are one of the most exciting clubs to follow at the moment. Not because the football is great – it’s not. It’s uninspired, one dimensional and gets the job done. But because you can peek over Felix Magath’s shoulder, as he step by step assembles a new team, fielding Schalke youth teams and promoting talents nobody ever heard about. Whether he manages to build a team with the potential to win the Bundesliga remains to be seen. His foremost task at the moment is to reduce the wage budget and balance the books again.

Referees. It wasn’t a good weekend for decisive offside calls. Bundesliga referees denied three perfectly good goals this weekend. With the situation at the bottom of the table getting more and more serious, that was particularly bad news for Nuremberg and Bochum. Nuremberg were denied a late equalizer against Mainz. Bochum should have taken the lead against Freiburg, but instead were punished with Freiburg’s winning goal in the 90th minute. Hertha meanwhile should have gotten a penalty against Cologne to get a more than deserved equalizer, while Hannover got a PK gift-wrapped to steal a point from Hamburg.

Hamburg’s Sick Bay. Hamburg’s two best strikers are now joined by their indisputably best player: Ze Roberto. A torn ligament will keep him out for at least the next game against Bochum. It threatens to once again become a season for Hamburg fans to contemplate all that could have been if only…

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back. Stuttgart coach Markus Babbel was happy to escape with a draw against Mönchengladbach. He can’t be happy with the lack of progress his team is making.

Hertha’s Plan for the Second Division. They better have one. No team with only 4 points after 12 matchdays has ever escaped relegation. It really saddens me to see what happened to the club and it’s also difficult to comprehend how much bad luck they are stacking up at the moment. Cologne had two shots on goal and some luck with close penalty calls. Hertha pretty much had everything else and lost. It’s safe to say that Hertha in their current shape would not be in such a misery. Hertha sealed their relegation earlier in the season – when the players were busy conspiring against their coach. Games like the one against Cologne are just the cherry on top.

Results: Leverkusen 4-0 Frankfurt, Bayern 1-1 Schalke, Hoffenheim 1-2 Wolfsburg, Bochum 1-2 Freiburg, Mönchengladbach 0-0 Stuttgart, Mainz 1-0 Nuremberg, Hannover 2-2 Hamburger SV, Hertha 0-1 Cologne, Bremen 1-1 Dortmund

20 years ago the Berlin Wall fell. Depending on who you ask it was either because of David Hasselhof, an accident or a peaceful revolution of the East German people.

One football fan was particularly looking forward to this event, after cheering on the “wrong” football teams for over two decades. Helmut Klopfleisch from then-East Berlin became an enthusiastic Hertha and Bayern fan in the 1960s and came to their games whenever they played teams from the Eastern Bloc. His fandom landed him and his family in hot water with the East German regime. The above video gives you a short portrait of one of the bravest Bundesliga fans out there.

The video has English subtitles. If they don’t show, click on the button in the bottom right corner and activate them.

And in case you aren’t quite up to speed with the East German regime acronyms mentioned in the video, here is a quick rundown:
FDJ. The not so Freie Deutsche Jugend – Free German Youth. Every regime needs a youth movement, to raise fresh Nazis, Communists or whatever. The FDJ incidentally shared Hertha’s club colors, allowing Helmut Klopfleisch to create some unique Hertha fan gear.
Stasi. STAatsSIcherheit – State Security. Because a good youth system alone is not enough in a totalitarian regime, it’s also mandatory to have an effective and repressive intelligence and secret police agency to put citizens under surveillance.
GDR. What is commonly referred to as East Germany in the anglophone world, was officially called the German Democratic Republic. West Germany is the Federal Republic of Germany. Is, as in: today’s Germany is still the Federal Republic of Germany, just with a bunch of extra federal states added. And just like Germans don’t use the nickname “Mannschaft” for the German national team, they also didn’t refer to each other’s country as West or East Germany either.

Which player is seen here reflecting large amounts of light straight back to the sun?

In 1974 Gerd Müller succeeded where Michael Ballack had failed in 2002 and won the Bundesliga, Champions Cup (Champions League) and the World Cup. On his way to the trophy hattrick Müller scored an amazing 30 goals in 34 Bundesliga matches, 8 goals in 10 Champions Cup matches and 5 goals in 4 DFB Pokal matches for his club Bayern Munich. The above YouTube playlist compiles 26 of his Bundesliga and 5 of his Champions Cup goals into one easy to watch package.

Playlist
Müller vs Hertha BSC (Goal #3, 25th August 1973)
Müller vs Schalke 04 (Goals #4 to 7, 8th September 1973)
Müller vs Bremen (Goal #8, 15th September 1973)
Müller vs Kaiserslautern (Goals #11 and 12, 20th October 1973)
Müller vs Dresden (Champions Cup, Goal #3, 24th October 1973)
Müller vs Dresden (Champions Cup, Goal #4, 7th November 1973)
Müller vs Hamburg (Goals #13 to 15, 10th November 1973)
Müller vs Mönchengladbach (Goal #16, 8th December 1973)
Müller vs Fortuna Cologne (Goals #17 to 19, 12th January 1974)
Müller vs Hertha BSC (Goal #20, 26th January 1974)
Müller vs Schalke 04 (Goal #21 to 23, 9th February 1974)
Müller vs Hannover (Goal #24, 9th March 1974)
Müller vs Frankfurt (Goal #25, 16th March 1974)
Müller vs FC Cologne (Goal #26, 23rd March 1974)
Müller vs Duisburg (Goal #27, 30th March 1974)
Müller vs Stuttgart (Goal #28, 20th April 1974)
Müller vs Ujpest Dozsa (Champions Cup, Goal #6, 24th April 1974)
Müller vs Bochum (Goal #29, 27th April 1974)
Müller vs Offenbach (Goal #30, 11th May 1974)
Müller vs Atletico Madrid (Champions Cup Final, Goal #7 and 8, 17th May 1974)

The two goals against Madrid certainly qualify as “saving the best for last”. Or as the video description puts it: “(…) both goals must count among the finest ever scored in a European Cup final. “

Bayern Munich fans are certainly not in a particularly good mood at the moment. The situation in the Bundesliga is far from hopeless but still disappointing, while Bayern will need a miracle of sorts to progress in the Champions League. Thus, some fans may be in disbelieve, some may question the coach or the players, others blame the transfer policy and a few probably just desperately hope for Ribery to return and make it all right again. But, they are not rioting – yet. That didn’t stop Bayern from taking some precautionary measures though. A warning, a message of intent, sort of. It’s also a predictably bad spot for Bayern fans to curiously watch, what looks like, a training session with three or four players running up and down the pitch at the Säbener Straße.

3 wins, 2 draws and 1 defeat for Bundesliga clubs in Europe this week. The good news is that five out of six have it all in their own hands to progress to the next round. The odd club out is of course Hertha B… no wait.

Bayern Munich 0-2 Bordeaux. Bayern wanted a football teacher and got a textbook case of how little possession stats tell you about the outcome of a football match. The handball by Bordeaux’s Ciani was a textbook case of how you don’t get the right calls, when you are in a crisis either. Bayern now need Bordeaux, who are already qualified, to take some points from Juventus and then still need to beat the Italians in Turin to progress. I think a healthy dose of Bayern Dusel will be necessary to save this season’s Champions League campaign.

Hamburg 0-0 Celtic. It didn’t take a lot for Celtic to completely open up the Hamburg defense and take a shot at a one on one with Frank Rost. To be a bit more precise: one cross or one pass was enough. That should be worrying, because in combination with the Gladbach game, coaches should now have a nice set of tactical tools at their disposal to beat Hamburg. That being said, Hamburg otherwise were in control of the match and the draw keeps them in a good position to get to the next round – or even top the group.

Besiktas 0-3 Wolfsburg. Wolfsburg pulled off the overall most assured performance, even though it took 80 minutes to really make sure of the victory. A draw against Moscow will send them through, a defeat could set them up for quite a finale against Manchester United though.

Bremen 2-0 Austria Vienna. The Austrian Bundesliga had been the better Bundesliga this season – both head-to-head against German Bundesliga teams and in Europe overall coefficient wise. And in all fairness to the southern neighbors they should still be the better Bundesliga this season. Bremen played awful but got all the right calls in their favor to restore German Bundesliga bragging rights – although with the kind help of a Swedish referee. Bremen booked their ticket to the next round and can now afford to play even worse in their last two games.

Seville 1-1 Stuttgart. It was a game of two halves in Seville. One made of fear, the other made of courage. Stuttgart were lucky to escape the first 45 minutes only being one goal down. Stuttgart were unlucky not to take all three points in the second 45 minutes. The draw leaves Stuttgart in third place but with every chance to take second place and progress to the second round.

Heerenveen 2-3 Berlin. Three minutes into the match Hertha were one goal down. A familiar story with an unfamiliar twist and an unlikely hero this time around. Hertha equalized ending a goal drought lasting 461 minutes. They fell behind again. They equalized again. They snatched a winner in overtime. The player who set up the first two goals and scored the winner goes by the name Artur Wichniarek. Hertha are now second in their group, giving them a decent chance to combine their relegation battle with a few more fun trips around Europe.