Istanbul, Turkey; Berlin, Germany (Weltexpress). Bavaria travelled to the Bosporus. No, not any Bavarians. Players and coaches, fans and officials of FC Bayern Munich were drawn from the Isar to the mouth of the Black Sea.
The fans
In a neat and counting 41.903 spectators sold out stadium in the Beşiktaş district of the Turkish metropolis Istantbul with more than 15 million inhabitants, the team of head coach Jupp Heynckes opposed Besiktas Istanbul for the second leg of the Champions League (CL).
During the game against Besiktas Bayern’s ears buzzed, said goalkeeper Sven Ulreich after the 3-1. Fans of the Turkish team sounded a tremendous roar, confirmed his field players. So did we from WELTEXPRESS, listening and looking as always at Hofbräu Berlin.
The goals
The millionaires from Munich could not rave about their opponents, as Besiktas Istanbul remained harmless in the home game as well as in the first leg that the FCB won 5:0.
But even Bayern had many ball losses. A mistake by Alaba led to 1:2 by Vagner Love (59.).
Highlights of the CL match, which was headed by British referee Michael Oliver, were on the one hand the goals for the guests at the Golden Horn by Thiago Alcântara (18). and Sandro Wagner (84.) and the own goal of Gökhan Gönül (46).
The cat
On the other hand, a four-legged racer amused the masses in the stadium and in front of the TV sets. A cat was on the screen in the 50th minute of the game to the delight of the audience at “Hofbräu München, Wirtshaus Berlin”, and us from WELTEXPRESS. Seeing it run about as if it were part of the game, we ordered another pint and more for the fun galore.
That the return leg was decided at least after the own goal was made clear when the guests switched back a gear. And there was nothing more to hear from the deafening shouts and songs of the supporters of a defeated Besiktas.
FC Bayern München is now into the quarterfinals of the Champions League like Real Madrid, Liverpool, Juventus Turin, Manchester City, Rome, Seville and Barcelona. At UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, matches were drawn on Friday, with first leg matches played on April 3 and 4, and their return matches on 10 and 11 April. Bayern had luck on its side again, playing against Seville which is considered to be an opponent easy to tackle. Wait and see – then it’s time again at “Hofbräu Munich, Wirtshaus Berlin” for a pint or more and lots of fun galore.
* * *
Christopher Prescott based on a text by Ralf-Rüdiger Okudera.
