“Four Years on the Loser Road”
Hertha BSC staggers, fans whistle, Dardai defends players
08/05/2023 09:21 am
Hertha BSC is relegated from the Bundesliga and things are not going well in the new division either. After the opening defeat against Düsseldorf, the Berliners also lose the first home game of the season. Coach Pal Dardai sees no false start.
Coach Pal Dardai from the second division soccer team Hertha BSC defended his team after the second defeat in the second game. “If you’re only on the losing side for four years, it’s difficult. Unfortunately, we’re still on the losing side,” said the coach after the 0-1 (0-0) win against newcomers SV Wehen Wiesbaden. The Bundesliga relegated had left the field as a loser after the late goal of Lasse Günther (90 + 2). The capital club had also lost the start at Fortuna Düsseldorf 0-1. The “fifth upheaval in five years”, emphasized Dardai on the Sky microphone, is not that easy to cope with.
Hertha fans demonstrate against the new sponsor.
(Photo: dpa)
However, the Hungarian is convinced that it is only a matter of time before success. On Friday evening, his team had 19 shots on goal before Günther struck in added time. “Everyone ran, everyone did their job – you can’t blame the team,” said Dardai, but good performances during the week would not be enough. “I’m not here to sugarcoat anything. It doesn’t matter how the net is shattered in training, in the end you have to score in the game. There has to be a can opener.”
In the first competitive game ever between the two teams, Hertha coach Pal Dardai called up two of his sons in Marton and Palko in the starting XI, Bence was initially on the bench, as was the goalscorer Haris Tabakovic, who was signed by Austria Wien during the week. Tabakovic came on for the ailing Florian Niederlechner before the break.
With Tabakovic danger comes into the Hertha game
40,075 fans in the Olympic Stadium saw an initially committed game, but few highlights, in which the guests had significant scoring chances before the break through new signing Hyun-Ju Lee (13th) and then the Berlin through Fabian Reese (32nd), who was also newly signed . With Tabakovic, however, more danger came into the Hertha game, the Swiss volleyed the crossbar in the 56th minute. A little later, a hand penalty decision for Hertha after a video decision rightly did not last (58th). The Berliners pushed for victory, but instead Günther hit the heart of Hertha. After the final whistle, clear whistles against Hertha could already be heard. There was also resentment in the stadium because of the new jersey sponsor.
The club had started the current second division season with a bare chest, and a new shirt sponsor was found shortly before the second game – the commitment caused trouble. And the president has to justify breaking his word by referring to the bad financial situation of the club. Because the money – it is reported that there is an annual commitment of two million euros – will come from “CrazyBuzzer”, a sports betting provider.
The tasks in the league are not necessarily easier after the false start. After the game in the first round of the DFB Cup next Saturday (1 p.m./Sky) at Carl Zeiss Jena is waiting on August 19th (8.30 p.m./Sky and Sport1) the top game at Hamburger SV on the Berliners.