Status: 05.11.2023, 19:29 PM
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A fan of Kansas City Chiefs has his picture taken with an oversized helmet before the NFL game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Miami Dolphins. © Andreas Arnold/dpa
The top game of the NFL is one-sided for a long time: Super Bowl winner Kansas City celebrates a victory over rival Miami. Lothar Matthäus sits at the football spectacle - but not Taylor Swift.
Frankfurt/Main - Patrick Mahomes did a little lap of honour in Frankfurt's football madhouse, "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey boomed out of the speakers at full volume. Led by their superstar, the Kansas City Chiefs have cemented their supremacy in the NFL, defeating rival Miami Dolphins. "It was a breathtaking experience. I've seen red everywhere, all over the city. We really felt the love. I was really excited to be here," said matchwinner Mahomes after the 21-14 (21-0), which was actually briefly endangered after an excellent first half in front of 50,023 enthusiastic spectators.
After days of debate about a possible visit from Taylor Swift, the pop giant was not seen in the stands on Sunday. The Chiefs around the strong Mahomes and Travis Kelce, who had recently been photographed flirting with Swift, showed themselves as a team in strong form. "Where is Taylor," read a journalist's white shirt at the press conference that followed. Where is Taylor? The Swift secret has become a real business for the NFL in recent days alongside the actual sport - no one really wanted to reveal it.
Like the premiere a year ago in Munich, where Tom Brady spoke of one of the best experiences of his professional life, this game also became a football holiday in Germany. For a long time, however, only the defending champion of coach Andy Reid offered spectacle in the top match, who pulled away so clearly in the first half that there was hardly any suspense. "The crowd was incredible. It was a great event. The German fans were phenomenal," said Reid, whose exuberant enthusiasm is not always immediately apparent.
For the Dolphins, who had already scored 70 points in a game this season, the 21-point mortgage was too much despite a strong second half. However, the real goosebump moments, such as "Sweet Caroline" or "Country Roads" in 2022 at the Allianz Arena, did not really want to arise this time despite the top-class cast. After the end of the game, the organizers tried exactly the same songs again.
Mood music from Queen to DJ Ötzi thrilled the audience until the final phase. The NFL could have sold over three million tickets for the game, which many Chiefs fans would have preferred to see in the USA given the top game character. Kansas City took another step towards the Super Bowl, which will be played in Las Vegas on February 11, 2024, with its seventh win in the ninth game.
A few hours before kick-off, tens of thousands of football fans in various jerseys lined the stadium area. The omnipresent question about superstar Swift as a lucky charm for the inconspicuous Kelce this time remained topical, even Frank Buschmann commented on the RTL microphone: "I don't care at all whether Taylor Swift is here." Instead, only Germany's football icon Lothar Matthäus could be seen. Less than 24 hours after the criticism of Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel, the record international was sitting on the sidelines in Frankfurt again - and suddenly spoke about football for US television.
The Eintracht stadium was hardly recognisable in its football look, Nena and the regionally known Rodgau Monotones boomed out of the speakers. With the roof closed, the Dolphins, coached by Mike McDaniel, kicked off punctually at 15:30 p.m. And Mahomes immediately delivered what the fans hoped for from him. The Chiefs scored their first touchdown on the first offense and repeated it when the first attempt was disallowed after a review by the referee. In the first time-out, a Chiefs fan proposed to his partner - he succeeded, the stadium cheered. The entertainment factor was also huge off the field.
There was little to be seen of Mahomes' quarterback rival Tua Tagovailoa at first. The same was true for Dolphins star Tyreek Hill, one of the best players of the current NFL season. Instead, Mahomes led his team to another touchdown before halftime to make it 14-0. Immediately afterwards, a real rarity occurred: The Chiefs' defense won the ball in the final minutes of the first half and immediately carried it - including a pass - to another touchdown. "That was great, a huge play for us," Mahomes said. The numerous fans dressed in red cheered, the game seemed to be decided prematurely with the score at 21:0.
But that was just the way it looked. In the second round, a completely different picture suddenly presented itself. Miami's playmaker Tagovailoa was now precise and focused, the qualities of the 70-point offense were suddenly on display. With two touchdowns in the third quarter alone, the challenger from Florida defied the numerous Chiefs fans and cut the deficit to 14-21. The final period promised suspense once again, but Miami's offense could not maintain the high level. Dpa