At Dortmund, the score is 2-2. - Hertha BSC's U19s put in a stellar display, aiming for the championship decider.
In the first leg of the U19 Bundesliga finals, Borussia Dortmund and Hertha BSC ended in a draw with a score of 2-2. This is the third time in three years that these two teams have faced each other in the finals, with Dortmund emerging victorious both times.
Lars Ricken, the recently promoted managing director of sport for the professionals at Borussia Dortmund, expressed his excitement about the quality of play in the game on Sky. He said, "I've rarely seen so much quality on an U19 pitch. I think it's cool the team the Berliners are fielding. We want to compete with the best."
Oliver Reiss, the coach of Hertha BSC, relied on a lot of second division experience, starting players like Ibrahim Maza (18), Pascal Klemens (19), and Bence Dardai (18). Tim Hoffmann (19) was unable to play due to the flu.
Borussia Dortmund got off to a great start, scoring the first goal after just ten minutes. Paris Brunner (18), the German U17 World Champion, took a powerful shot that found its way into the path of Cole Campbell, making it 1-0. Edin Terzic, the professional coach for Dortmund, showed his support on the sidelines.
Hertha began to fight back, but Maza (18) and captain Michelbrink (19/24) were unable to beat the strong keeper Lisewski. Hanno Balitsch, the coach of the U18 national team, urged his team to shoot more in the penalty area during halftime.
After the break, Hertha switched to a more offensive playstyle, with winger Jelani Ndi bringing a lot of energy to the field. However, Dortmund's strategy shifted to counter-attacks. This backfired, as Hertha's Oliver Rölke (1.92m) headed a cross from Michelbrink into the net, equalizing the score at 1-1.
Things got even better for Hertha when Maza passed the ball to substitute center forward Karim Bellomo (18), who scored to make it 2-1.
However, Dortmund had the last laugh, scoring a strange goal in added time. Filippo Mané poked the ball just behind the line in a scramble, and the ball bounced back without touching the net. Charles Herrmann of Dortmund then pushed the ball in, with the referee awarding the goal as 2-2.
The second leg of the finals will be played on Monday in Berlin (11 a.m., Jahnsportpark/live on Sky). The winner of this match will likely face TSG Hoffenheim in the final, who won their first leg against Borussia Mönchengladbach 6-2.
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Source: symclub.org
