Tension during the penalty shootout. - Reiß experiences a third semi-final defeat.
How dramatic it all was for the Hertha boys!
The U19s barely lost 4-5 to BVB's youngsters in a penalty shootout, knocking them out of the semi-finals (first leg: 2-2) of the German championship. With 90 minutes on the clock, the score still stood at 3-3. Hertha had been the stronger side for most of the match.
For the third time in a row, Hertha's 2005 team has failed to reach the semi-finals of the German championship. The last two years saw defeats against Stuttgart in the U17s, and last year and this year against Dortmund.
Hertha performed admirably. Rölke put Hertha ahead (34'). After a brief lapse in focus, BVB scored three more, with goals from Wätjen (35, 46) and Campbell (49), putting them 3-1 up.
But Ibrahim Maza, a standout player from Charlottenburg, led Hertha to fight back. Ndi (59) and the powerful center forward Rölke (68) scored, equalizing the game. For more than ten minutes, Hertha fought hard while a player down (yellow-red for Lubach), but to no avail. BVB will now face Hoffenheim in the final.
Pascal Klemens, Hertha's captain: "We controlled most of the play today. We were also better in the first leg. It's just heartbreaking."
What's next for the U19s?
Four players (Maza, Klemens, Goller, Hoffmann) are already part of the professional squad. Bence Dardai, the son of former professional coach Pal Dardai, is moving to Wolfsburg. The 16-year-old talent Boris Lum has offers from top clubs.
The future of coach Oliver Reiß is unclear. He has one year left on his contract, but has applied for the coaching job at Cologne due to a lack of prospects. It seems likely he will leave the club - perhaps for Dortmund?
At BVB, former Hertha player Thomas Broich, who resigned from Hertha earlier this year, is responsible for young talent. It's possible he will now bring Reiß on board at Borussia Dortmund.
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Source: symclub.org
