Proud Völler as lead singer, Freiburg's Günter: "It hurts"
Created: 05/14/2022Updated: 05/14/2022 7:23 p.m
Rudi Völler, sporting director of Leverkusen.
© Marius Becker/dpa
The gate to the Champions League was temporarily open for SC Freiburg, but in the end it wasn't enough.
Meanwhile, Bayer Leverkusen celebrated soccer icon Rudi Völler, who is withdrawing from operational business.
Leverkusen - After Freiburg missed out on their first Champions League appearance, the fans raised their voices when they thought about the cup final against RB Leipzig next Saturday: "And we'll win the cup," the Freiburg supporters sang defiantly.
But the big party took place on the other side.
Bayer Leverkusen already had the Champions League secured before the 2-1 (0-0) win against SC.
But the departure of managing director Rudi Völler after more than 23 years at the club made the day one of the most emotional in the club's recent history.
About a quarter of an hour after the end, the fans called "Full on the fence".
The 62-year-old approached the curve, shot a ball into the empty goal on the way and then had himself helped onto the fence.
"Now someone has to tell me what I should do," said the 1990 world champion in the midst of the supporters with a microphone in his hand.
Then he agreed to a "ufta täterä" and jumped with the followers.
"The most important thing was that I didn't hurt myself.
At my age you have to be careful with such acrobatic actions,” Völler said with a laugh.
In his more than 40 years in professional football, it was “my first time” on the fence: “When I was playing, there was nothing like that.
That was only introduced later.
Of course I didn't know the lyrics.
But I had a prompter who whispered everything in my ear.”
Voller left with pride.
To the team that finished third and won the game that didn't matter to them.
But above all on the development in the last 20 years.
"We didn't win a title," said Völler, who came as a player in 1994 and was always there with the exception of four and a half years as DFB team boss and coach of AS Roma.
“Back then, Calli (manager Reiner Calmund, ed.) first got Bernd Schuster and then me as folklore or Hollywood.
And yet there were relatively few spectators.
That has developed enormously.
The atmosphere like today, it doesn't get any better than that.” Völler will stay with the club as a member of the shareholders' committee and as a club ambassador.
For Freiburg, the dream of participating in the Champions League for the first time was bitterly shattered.
After the equalizer by Janik Haberer (88th), with Leipzig 0: 1 in Bielefeld, only one goal was missing for the premier class.
After the Leipzig equalizer and the late 1:2 by Exequiel Palacios, the dream came to an end.
Goalkeeper Mark Flekken had joined the storm and the Argentine shot into the empty goal from around 50 meters.
Nevertheless, Freiburg will play in Europe for the first time in five years and for the fifth time in the club's history.
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"If someone had told us before the season that we were playing Europa League, hardly anyone would have believed it.
Nevertheless, it hurts a bit when you end up there and lose the last two games," said captain Christian Günter: "Now we're concentrating on the cup final.
We really want to get that thing.”
Coach Christian Streich seemed quite disappointed, his voice was audibly upset.
"The message from Bielefeld gave me renewed energy: One more goal and you're suddenly in the Champions League," he said, wallowing in thought: "In the rush I didn't realize that Leipzig had equalized.
Then we played hop or top and lost.
But I have no concerns that the team can do everything again next week.” When asked what he would have said before the season if someone had predicted a fight for the Champions League up to the last matchday, he answered again with a smile: "That he's crazy." dpa