It doesn’t take much to make Marco Rehmer laugh. Even louder. In this particular case, a simple statement will suffice: on Tuesday, Germany’s national football team will play England in Munich.
England vs Germany. In Munich. Was there anything? That’s right. It has been almost 21 years since the two teams met in Munich to qualify for the 2002 World Cup, then at the Olympic Stadium. Marco Rehmer, Hertha BSc defender, was in the opening XI for the Germans and spent an unforgettable evening even though he could not remember the details. “I don’t think we had our best day together,” he says. “But now you can laugh about it.”
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Then it was different. At least for the Germans.
In England, of course, he looks back on this game with a sense of a golden edge. When it hits the scoreboard two minutes before the end of the television broadcast, BBC commentator John Motson says, “Look at it,” and encourages viewers to breathe a sigh of relief.
The game is not over yet, which is already a myth. Like many myths, this one has long obscured reality. “In the end, the results speak for themselves,” says Marco Rehmer. One. To do. For. You really do not need to know more. ARD commentator Gerd Rubenbauer concluded his live broadcast by saying, “The German team is disintegrating in a way we have never experienced on home soil.
“A Retreat to the Stone Age”
The commentary by John Motson and former international Trevor Brooking is expert on his side, so the game can still be found entirely online. “Sit down and have fun,” the BBC reporter says as the game begins.
This will become a nightmare for the Germans. September 1, 2001 went down to one of the lowest points in the history of the national team. “It’s a throwback to the Stone Age,” says defender Christian Varnes, who makes the top three with Thomas Linge and Libero Jens Novotny.
He will be replaced during the break. Marco Rehmer, who previously played as a right-back, has taken his place.
Nothing is sacred after this game. System with Libero: hopelessly outdated. Defenders: Very slow and awkward. Michael Ballack, the best young hopeful in midfield: a dull handsome player who can thwart even the slightest resistance. Dietmar Hamman, Sixer: Hopefully out of control in midfield. Ballack and Haman, according to Takespeekal, “showed the old stars’ commitment to a charity game”.
If you look at the meeting full length again, some things are put in perspective. Sure, the Germans weren’t good at stuffed football in their eighties, but they weren’t bad enough to be made to look back. At least not compared to the British, they will skyrocket after the historic victory. “You are not dreaming. I swear,” says BBC correspondent Motson. “This is a night to be proud of in English.”
The most failure in 70 years
For the Germans it was the biggest defeat on home soil in 70 years, and against one of their arch-rivals in football. Of course, it sets the tone for reporting. That evening the summer ends in Munich. After a few good days spent by the team at Schlosshotel Oberambach on Starnberg Lake, it started to rain during the game. It gets cold, and that too is true in a symbolic sense.
It has been almost exactly one year since Rudi Völler accepted the national team captaincy. Since then, the mood of German football has improved considerably. However, this evening in Munich, the basic worries return. Is the quality still adequate or has it returned to international standards? The appearance against England raises serious doubts about this.
With a win, the national team would have qualified for the World Cup in Japan and South Korea with only one game left. It starts right away. Five minutes later, Carsten J்கnker put Germany ahead. FC Bayern striker Oliver New scored with a header. But then the team loses more and more control. Almost a quarter of an hour later Michael Owen equalized. It was the first of three goals scored by a Liverpool striker that evening.
Only after 1: 1 did the Germans find their way better. It’s a very balanced fight. BBC correspondent Motson complained about the extraordinary number of simple mistakes made by both sides shortly before the break. Goalkeeper Oliver Kahn picked up Sebastian Dieseller’s back pass with his hands. The English have an indirect free kick in the German penalty area. David Beckham advances – meets Marco Rehmer next to left post.
Goofy targets in unfortunate times
It was a great opportunity for England before the break; Diesel missed the best for the Germans in the middle of the first half when he fired seven yards from goal, but failed to hit the ball properly. This time there is nothing to say that the evening will end in historic victory for the British and epic defeat for the Germans.
Dietmar Haman, who was on contract at Liverpool FC at the time, later lamented “stupid goals in unfortunate times”. After a 1: 5, it seems like a cheap excuse, but when you look at it casually with a gap of 21 years, one has to realize: in fact he is right. A thrashing called this game Three lions The result is an impossibility – and for that reason it may be logical. A high power seems to like it.
Shortly before the break, goalkeeper David Seaman prevented the Germans from regaining the lead. Immediately, after three minutes of extra time, Steven Gerrard scored from 25 meters to make it 2-1. As soon as it restarts, guests increase through the oven to 3: 1. Straight to 1: 4, Michael Ballack has a great chance to score, before Emily Hesky’s 1: 5 kicks his foot in front of Seaman Rehmer. Guests fire three times towards the German goal after the break, with the ball in it three times. “A game like this is not often,” Rehmer says. “Fortunately.” Goofy targets in unfortunate times.
What is left of that evening is a feeling above all else: a feeling of failure. The details have long been forgotten. Before this Tuesday’s League League match (8.45 / ZDF), Hansie Flick also recalled. Munchen 2001 The question was raised. “It’s in the past,” the national coach said. “I do not like to go there.” Probably not in it.
