Stern‘s men played an outstanding first half in Biesdorf and won 4-1
It was a Berlin League kick with all the trimmings, the eight euro entry fee was worth it. Stern put the newcomers within their footballing limits in the first half. Fluid combinations, relentless in the duels, great goals. When the score was 4-0 for the Steglitz team shortly before the half-time whistle, there was still a clear smell of a shooting match, but just a minute later it was no longer there.
Goal number 7 of the season and can opener: Nico Fässler takes the lead in Biesdorf.
Referee Ole Sicker also contributed to the high entertainment value of the game. He handed out a total of eleven yellow cards, some of which were questionable, plus a red-yellow card for Biesdorf’s coach Nico Hennig and a red one for Stern’s Can Cakin – just before half-time. That’s probably why it wasn’t a landslide victory. Stern’s outnumbering was not visually noticeable during the second shift, but the dominance from the first period of the game could not be maintained either.
But from the beginning. Newly promoted Biesdorf, remarkably fourth in the table before kick-off, started briskly and high from the start and the question was how Stern would react to that. The answer was given by two Fortuna veterans in the stands: “They play really well from the back.” As evidenced by the 0-2 lead by Flo Medrane (38th): keeper Nico Wiesner opened and then Biesdorf only had the kick-off again Access to the sphere.
At the end of a combination across the entire pitch, Olli Gantzberg provides the assist…
And it went like this: Jule Hartmann to David Vetter, Vetter to Can Cakin, Cakin out on the left to Eddie Udeoka, who played the ball a little further inwards to Nico Fässler. Fässler then kicks it into the center on the edge of the penalty area, where Olli Gantzberg takes it with momentum past the opponent and into the box. Biesdorf’s keeper Ruslan Yefanov somehow parries his shot with his left, but Medrane runs through the second post and nets it. Even without yellow-blue glasses: a goal straight out of the textbook.
Fässler opened the scoring. After a free kick from the half field and Biesdorf’s defense was too short, Cakin lifted the ball back into the box. Offside, the home team complained, but the assistant’s flag stayed down. Fässler acted cleverly. Already in the goal area and close to Yefanov, he faked a powerful shot, but then pushed the ball flat and sensitively under the high-jumping Fortuna keeper (14th).
… and Florian Medrane executed.
Despite the stars acting wide awake, the double blow before the break was more attributable to the Biesdorf defense. At 0:3, a Fortuna defender headed a free kick from the right half of the field too short. David Vetter quickly headed the ball in front of him into the net from eight meters away (44′). In stoppage time, the hosts’ defense went one step further. Shortly before the halfway line, the last man lost the ball to Cakin. Fässler took over and headed solo towards Yefanov. It held, Cakin, who was running along, only had to push the rebounding ball in; 0:4 (45th+1).
The fact that Stern remains unbeaten is also thanks to the defense around Jule Hartmann and Tim Schönfuß (cover photo).
The last scene before the page change had a cinematic character. After a press strike on the halfway line, official pack formation was announced. Whether only Biesdorf’s Dennis März committed an assault or only Cakin or both was discussed emotionally but fairly in the stands. Anyway, March got yellow and Cakin got red.
The picture is deceptive, David Vetter was on top and rounded off his very good performance with a goal.
Being outnumbered, Stern missed three big chances as the game progressed. Substitute Niklas Danielson had the biggest chance after a counterattack and his shot hit the post (90′). The Biesdorfers were unable to do more than make it 1:4 after a penalty kick – Pascal fahrert had successfully followed up after Wiesner’s save – despite noticeable efforts. Also a credit to the Sterner Eleven who were in a great mood that day. The Fortuna veterans in the stands described the futile efforts of their offensive faction as follows: “They simply cannot prevail.”
Photos (5): Ralf Seedorf
