“Suddenly Fritzl was lying on me” – trance at VFB Stuttgart
Goal winning in stoppage time, relegation and space attack. VfB Stuttgart saves himself in a big way on the final day of the match. The events tear holes in the coach’s memory. But Matarazzo is sure that the goal would not have happened without Dortmund.
meThe moment this great fortune shook the Stuttgart stadium, Pellegrino Matarazzo did what everyone who supported VfB did: he gave up control. The players, supervisors, coaches and sporting director also Sven Mislintat sparked unbridled circles of joy on the grass, and the joy and tension created the track. No matter where the path took them first, they all ended up near the corner flag.
A jubilant group assembled during this unforgettable downtime in the last Bundesliga match of the 2021/22 season, as Stuttgart saved themselves thanks to Wataru Endo’s winning goal against 1. FC Köln and avoided impending relegation matches.
Matarazzo said: “It was euphoria, it was a moment that you will never forget. I don’t even know who scored the goal. I don’t remember what happened. But I can still see how suddenly Fritzl was lying on top of me. A beautiful moment. To all the players, all the fans who are part of VfB”. The coach was buried under his amulet – could there be a more beautiful picture of a happy ending?
The real party animal: Crocodile “Fritzl” is here with Tanguy Coulibaly, share with us
Source: Getty Images / Matthias Hangst
However, as some people seemed to have forgotten in the very emotional moments, the injury time wasn’t over yet, and so the Stuttgart jubilation had to be untied again to survive the past 60 seconds.
Tension melts into tears: Sasa Kalajdic, Stuttgart top scorer
Source: Getty Images / Matthias Hangst
Matarazzo’s future is open
When the final whistle blew soon after, most of the VfB players continued the party they had just started, while others like Sasa Kalajdzic exchanged anxious looks. Is it really over in Dortmund? The last doubts that faded into tears soon after, while the fans were already pouring on the pitch around them and creating images, as happened in the past few days with the European Cup champions in Frankfurt and the rise of Schalke 04. The insight from Stuttgart: The rescue is at least as intense in its emotion as the great victories.
It’s important on the pitch: Stuttgart fans stormed the pitch after a night out
Source: Getty Images / Matthias Hangst
“I don’t think I need to think anymore. I have such a skull after a lot of screaming and a lot of cheering. That’s fine,” said Matarazzo, laughing and trying to look at the match, which was also affected by the appearance of rival Hertha Berlin at Borussia Dortmund: “With Every goal Dortmund scored, the players had more courage and faith – and the spectators too. That was awesome, an absolute will goal in the end. I’m very happy for the boys.”
They celebrated the late landing first on the field, then later in the locker room: “Very loud, intense cheer. There was drumming and singing,” said the champagne-drenched coach and announced the plan for the night: “There will certainly be more festivities. I think. That there’s a demolition party at the stadium tonight and then we’ll go somewhere tonight.”
It will be determined whether it will return and remain the same in the coming days. The future of mycelinate is also not clear. New CEO Alexander Wehrle, who took over in March, has left the duo’s future open despite the contracts in place. He wanted to analyze the season with the two first.
Farah Khalis: Matarazzo and his players
Source: dpa / Tom Weller
“Unapologetic communicator. Web nerd. Internet junkie. Gamer. Hipster-friendly entrepreneur.”
More Stories
Official: Explaining Serge Gnabry’s future
Visas, a major concern for dozens of athletes before the worlds
Wonderful World Cup Medal for Poland. What did you do ?!