They had been combative to the end. “Making the impossible possible,” wanted Christian Beck, BFC Dynamo’s top scorer with 23 goals last season. Like most of his team-mates, he remained pale in the first leg. In the fight for promotion, the Berliners lost 2-0 at home to VfB Oldenburg. Those responsible could not have imagined a worse starting position for the decisive second leg.
The 2:1 (1:1) in the second leg on Saturday afternoon was no longer enough. In front of 12,000 spectators in the Marschweg Stadium, Oldenburg secured promotion to the 3rd division – and thus the last place that was still free in German professional football. The BFC Dynamo, on the other hand, has to wait for its first appearance in one of the top three leagues. The chance rarely seemed greater.
The BFC, champions of the Northeast Regional League, was the favorite in the two duels with Lower Saxony, champions of the North Regional League. On the pitch, however, there was not much to see at first. As in the first leg, Oldenburg started more offensively. Consequently, the 1:0 fell through Max Wegner. After a long drive from goalkeeper Pelle Boevink, the captain appeared free in front of the BFC goal and kept his nerve (34′).
Only the equalizer by Niklas Brandt, a little out of nowhere, brought the Berliners back into play (44th). The ten-time champion of the GDR Oberliga kept the Oldenburg back line increasingly busy – and had bad luck. Twice within two minutes (56th, 57th) Beck failed on the aluminum, Marcel Appiah cleared another header on the line (67th). “We tried everything again to knock the goat over. In the end it was 2-1 too late,” said Beck after the final whistle on MagentaSport. Andor Bolyki only scored the opening goal in the sixth minute of stoppage time.
The nearly 1,300 followers who traveled with us caused ugly scenes. The BFC fans repeatedly ignited flares during the game, which was classified as a high-risk game. A quarter of an hour before the end, some of them flew in the direction of the field. Referee Patrick Alt then interrupted the game for several minutes. Those responsible, who tried to mediate behind the hundreds of police in the block, might not like the behavior of their own followers. The image of the traditional club is battered anyway due to the Stasi support in GDR times and the conspicuous Ultra scene.
On the Oldenburg side, on the other hand, celebrations were allowed. “Oh, how beautiful that is,” echoed through the ranks before the final whistle. Immediately after the end of the game, the spectators stormed the pitch, partly to provoke the visiting fans. A clash could initially be prevented.
The Lower Saxony, who have always been overshadowed by basketball players in their city, are returning to professional football for the first time since 1997. In the 1991/92 season, VfB even missed promotion to the Bundesliga by just one point with coach Wolfgang Sidka and manager Rudi Assauer. Sidka is now president of the club – and can look forward to the greatest success in the club’s recent history. “That hasn’t happened in decades. It’s an incredible day – for VfB and for us,” said Captain Wegner immediately after the final whistle.
