DHL 1 - 5 Rückwarts (384294410)

It was an exceptionally sunny day for the crowd of 34857 that came out to Weserstadion. Ignacio Irabien was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Jakub Maciosek and Ronny Bø. A 3-4-3 alignment was the formation of choice for DHL. The following players had been chosen: Atakol - Kühnlein, Vesci, Pferschy - Grasedyck, De Mitri, Hihnala, Makridakis - Aydıntan, Fiorella, Gabsi.

Rückwarts had chosen a strategic 5-3-2 formation. They fielded: Wangen - ó Súilleabháin, Vikkelsø, Ponte, Lindermeyr, Fogelgren - Babacek, Vieruaho, Weigold - Hattenrod, Kuśnica.

Counter-attacking seemed to be the preferred strategy of Rückwarts. 9 minutes into the match, the speedy T. Hattenrod easily outpaced G. Vesci, chipped the keeper and made the score 0 - 1. Rückwarts hit back on the counter attack 23 minutes into the game with a free kick. Initially it seemed wasted, hit wide towards the wing. But there was an idea to it - the ball was then crossed towards F. Weigold, who was waiting for it in the box. That's 0 - 2! Don't forget to thank the set pieces coach for that idea! Some things can only be learned through experience, and F. Weigold should take his lesson to heart after nearly gifting DHL a goal with 25 minutes of the match played. The crowd groaned when H. Hihnala, having maneuvered his way down the right, fired the ball just wide and missed a great opportunity to reduce the deficit for DHL. With 35 minutes gone, H. Fogelgren suddenly found himself completely free on the right wing when a counterattack by Rückwarts caught their opponents by surprise. Only a great save by the opposing keeper prevented him from scoring. Several players seemed a little dazed by the warm weather, and were repeatedly tricked by the clever and agile E. Makridakis. After 37 minutes, DHL sent a free kick in high over the penalty box. In what looked like a well-rehearsed move, the ball was headed backwards and reached N. Pferschy, who had plenty of space to place a well aimed shot - 1 - 2. R. Franner was called on to replace Rückwarts's J. Vieruaho after 38 minutes following a nasty collision. W. Babacek became the new Rückwarts captain. W. Babacek of Rückwarts seemed to be floating in the air as he elegantly headed in to make the score 1 - 3 after a corner kick that was nicely executed by T. Hattenrod. A quick counter attack by Rückwarts forced the opponent's defender to give away a freekick. T. Hattenrod was allowed to take it quickly by the referee, much to the dismay of the goalkeeper who wasn't prepared. 1 - 4! The teams went for the halftime break at 1 - 4. Possession in the forty-five minutes was dominated by DHL, with 72 percent of the ball.

Rückwarts mounted an inspired counterattack down the right wing after 52 minutes, but R. Franner was unable to convert from short range. 63 minutes in, Rückwarts appeared unsure on how to play and their organisation was only inadequate. Rückwarts's counterattacks were lethal to the opposing defence, allowing T. Hattenrod to score easily from the right flank for 1 - 5. That made three goals for T. Hattenrod and he was marked down for the hat trick. The players of Rückwarts now seemed to think the job was done and acted more defensively, just waiting for the ref to blow the final whistle. 89 minutes into the game, C. Vikkelsø had to leave the pitch due to a knee injury. In came C. Erensoy. DHL claimed to have seen most of the ball, and the statistics agreed with them - possession being 75 percent.

DHL's best player was D. Aydıntan. On the other hand, N. Pferschy's play was disheartening. The most dominating Rückwarts player was without a doubt W. Babacek. However, C. Erensoy made a disastrous appearance. The match ends 1 - 5.