Alemannia Aachen 4 Karlsruher SC 2
2. Bundesliga
At: [Neu] Tivoli Stadion
Kick-off: 1-00 pm
Admission: 32-50 euro; Programme: free
Weather: drizzle
Attendance: 19184
Duration: first-half: 45:13; second-half: 47:09
The second week of Bundesliga action in Germany after the winter break threw up three fixtures in western North-Rhein Westphalia which could easily be combined into a weekend ‘treble’. With 1. Bundesliga games at 1FC Köln and Borussia Mönchengladbach to follow, the first one in 2. Bundesliga saw mid-table Alemnnia Aachen and relegation-threatened Karlsruher SC serve an entertaining game at rain-hit Tivoli Stadion.Yesterday morning I flew from Birmingham to Weeze, took a short bus journey to Kevelaer from where I caught the half-hourly train to Koln (Cologne) changing at Krefeld. My base for two nights – Friday and Saturday – was the Pathpoint Cologne Youth Hostel.
There were frequent trains from Köln to Aachen, journey time about 1 hour, arriving to allow myself plenty of time for a bit of sightseeing before the 1-00 pm kick-off. I’d last visited the city in 1993 and today planned to look about the cathedral – closed due to a funeral – so instead spent time in the church next door. After lunch at Vitamin Bar I continued to the ground on foot, passing the old Tivoli Stadium which hasn’t of yet been demolished.
I picked up my pre-ordered ticket from the INFO-POINT booth behind the south-west corner of the ground and took my place in the Aachener und Münchener Tribüne, row 7, on wet seat with several millimetres of rainwater on the concrete. It was a good job I had with me a green Asda carrier bag to use as a seat cover!The new Tivoli Stadium, as previously mentioned by another review I’d read, was very ‘yellow’ – yellow seats with lots of fans wearing yellow shirts. The ground was opened in for the start of the 2009/10 season and built next to the old crumbling stadium it replaced. Seats on three sides, including a section of prime ‘business’ seats and a large terrace – Bitburger Wall – at the south end of the stadium. Away fans had a small area of standing at the north-west corner.
Looking at a league table prior to last night's games, Alemnnia Aachen (24 points from 18 games) occupied 11th position, some 12 points behind leaders FC Augsburg having played the same number of games. Further down the table, Karlsruher SC (17 points from 18 games) occupied 16th position in the 18-team division.
It didn't hear the KSC team announced over the PA or see it on the big screen so initially noted down shirt numbers of those players who started or came on as subs. In contrast, a big fuss was made of announcing the home side – fans chanted the surname after the announcer gave the number and first name.To make a real sense of occasion around five minutes before kick-off, home fans sang the fans’ anthem, a German version of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ with scarfs raise on the big terrace like the Anfield Kop. When the time came for the players to enter the pitch, the walk-on music was ‘Who Let the Dogs Out’, they lined-up in front of the ‘main’ Sparkassen Tribüne but didn’t partake in handshakes.
There were whistles when the teams changed ends after the toss which meant Aachen were attacking the home end in the first half. With lights on from the start, Karlsruher (wearing all white) got the game underway. ‘ANSTROSS 13.01h’ displayed in he screen.
Aachen (wearing yellow shirts, black shorts and yellow socks) got off to the perfect start with a goal in the 5th minute. A ball played towards the area deflected off a defender and kindly into the path of the overrlapping Timo Achenbach. He crossed low for the unchallenged Zolten Stieber to fire home a first-time right foot shot from the left corner of the area. The familiar PDC darts tune greeted the goals before the announcer started a familiar ritual of welcoming the goal in a well-versed manner involving the crowd.Karlsruher got back on level terms in the 19th minute. Andreas Schäfer played a free-kick from the left forward into the area which fell perfectly for Timo Staffeldt to equalise with a first-time left foot shot from 15 yards out into the bottom left-corner.
It took Aachen three minutes to regain the lead. A poor back-pass clearance from keeper Luis Robles allowed the home side to attack down the left. Stieber crossed from the wing and Benjamin Auer headed home from six yards out.
A superb lob from the edge of the area near the right corner by Tolgay Arslan extended Aachen’s lead in the 26th minute. As a result of the goal (as with Aachen’s previous ones as well), another 50 litres of Bitburger was added to a total that increased to 800 litres with Arslan’s goal.Even though hit was wet and drizzling, row 7 provided an excellent view of the game even with three of the four goals at the end furthest away.
The vast majority of supporters in the black business seats were late returning for the start of the second half. Fortunately for them, there wasn’t another goal until the 65th minute. The visitors reduced the deficit with a low drive from the edge of the area by Gaétan Krebs.
Aachen, now leading by just one goal, survived a scare in the 75th minute. Krebs dribbled into the area and forced a save out of David Hohs. The volume of singing and chanting by the home fans noticeably increased as a result.
Home nerves were settled in the 89th minute by Aachen’s points-clinching fourth goal. Stieber, in space, ran down the right and squared the ball for unchallenged Sergiu Radu to sidefoot home at the far post.The full-time whistle signalled a 40 minute walk back to the station to catch the 15:51 train towards Köln.
Goals:
1-0 Zoltan Stieber (5)
1-1 Timo Staffeldt (19)
2-1 Benjamin Auer (22)
3-1 Tolgay Arslan (26)
3-2 Gaétan Krebs (65)
4-2 Sergiu Radu (89)
