Chapter 120
The first half ended, and halftime followed.
“Eisen Union!!!”
Union Berlin’s fans stayed in the stadium instead of leaving their seats.
They wanted their chants to reach the players, even if only faintly.
And right now, they wanted to savor this moment at the stadium for as long as possible.
Driven by those feelings, the fans sang their chants throughout halftime.
The feelings of Union Berlin’s fans naturally reached the players as well.
***
Halftime.
I didn’t say much to the players.
Simply showing the players the stands was enough to give them motivation.
The players couldn’t tear their eyes away from the screen for even a moment as they watched the fans waving flags and singing chants without leaving their seats during halftime.
The support was overwhelming—so intense it bordered on madness.
Even the fans who couldn’t get into the stadium had gathered around the training ground being used temporarily, cheering.
It seemed this was because East Germany had been poorer than West Germany, and many fans could no longer afford tickets after prices rose with Union Berlin’s promotion.
‘Starting next season, I’ll have to reduce admission fees for child fans as much as possible.’
Anyway.
Even I, the manager, could feel my heart pounding at the fans’ support.
The players actually out on the field must have been even more deeply moved than I was.
“Gentlemen….”
I turned my head toward the players and was about to begin a motivational speech.
But when I saw that the players couldn’t take their eyes off the screen, I realized there was no need for a speech. The speeches I had learned from old videos weren’t necessary either.
For once, I simply asked the players in a voice filled with sincerity.
“Let’s win. For the fans, and for us.”
That alone was enough for us now.
***
“The second half begins with the referee’s whistle.”
The second half between Union Berlin and Bayern Munich got underway.
“Yes. Union Berlin ended the first half with a two-goal lead, but what kind of match will the second half bring…? Ah! Just as I was saying that, Bayern Munich has intercepted Luka Modrić’s pass!”
From the very start of the half, Bayern Munich pressed Union Berlin fiercely.
This was because the pride of the club known as Bayern Munich had been wounded.
“This isn’t the Munich I know.”
During halftime, Jupp Heynckes had gently prodded the players’ pride.
The Munich players succeeded in creating a good chance as soon as the second half began.
“The Bayern Munich players are coming out aggressively right at the start of the second half.”
“From Bayern Munich’s perspective, their pride must be hurt. It’s rare for a team to lose to the same opponent in both halves.”
Frank Ribéry, who had dismantled Union Berlin’s right flank, attempted a cross,
and Frank Ribéry’s ball flew straight toward Luca Toni.
“Luca Toni!! Headeeeeeeeeeer─!”
Luca Toni met the incoming ball with a clean header,
and it flew toward Union Berlin’s goal.
Luca Toni’s header had redirected the ball’s trajectory precisely toward the goal.
Just as the Bayern Munich players sensed that it was going in,
Tap─.
a hand suddenly shot out and barely managed to bat the ball away.
“He saves it! Manuel Schmidt! A fantastic save! And Cafu throws himself at the ball that has dropped into the penalty box and clears it far away!!”
Luca Toni’s header was stopped by Manuel Schmidt’s save, and the goalkeeper roared in place after confirming that the ball had gone out beyond the touchline.
***
If the first half had belonged to Union Berlin, the second half belonged entirely to Bayern Munich.
“Dante! Mark the guy making the run behind you!”
That was how much more often Park Chan-hyuk was giving instructions to the players from the touchline than usual.
Of course, Union Berlin hadn’t spent the entire second half doing nothing but taking a beating. They mounted counterattacks and found some good chances as well.
If Lewandowski’s shot had gone straight in, the match might have ended right there,
but unfortunately, Bayern Munich center-back Lúcio threw his entire body in front of it and blocked it.
‘……I should have been on the team.’
Meanwhile, Yannick Voigt watched his teammates struggle,
regretting that he was unable to play in a match like today’s.
He could only resent the fact that he wasn’t out there with them.
‘Watching helplessly without being able to do anything is more painful than suffering a defeat firsthand.’
And he realized that being forced to watch helplessly when the team needed him was more painful than he had expected.
He also came to understand just how incredible the fans’ love was.
After watching the match blankly for a while, Yannick Voigt decided to do what he could.
“Immer Wieder Eisern Union! (Always with Union!)”
Hoping he could be of even the slightest help, he sang the chant at the top of his lungs,
and with Yannick Voigt at the center, Union Berlin’s fans once again gathered their strength and began singing the chant.
***
Once 25 minutes of the second half had passed, I made a substitution and began locking down the game.
Virgil van Dijk came on for the physically exhausted Son Heung-min,
and as soon as he entered the match, van Dijk threw his entire body in front of Ribéry’s shot and blocked it.
Even after that, Bayern Munich continued to batter Union Berlin,
and eventually, in the 41st minute of the second half,
they managed to score a goal to cut the deficit.
‘The match has been stopped quite a bit, so perhaps there’ll be about four minutes of stoppage time.’
Even taking stoppage time into account, around eight minutes remained.
Judging by the flow of the match, that was enough time for Munich to score one more goal.
“It’s okay, there isn’t much time le—.”
Just as I was about to encourage the players from the touchline, Union Berlin’s chant rang out.
Dem Morgengrauen entgegen, ziehn wir gegen den Wind.
We will advance toward dawn, facing the wind.
Union Berlin’s distinctive, solemn chant, reflecting the spirit of a bygone era, began to ring out.
The history of fans who had gathered in defiance of the secret police, the Stasi, and Union Berlin’s spirit of resistance
Wir werden alles zerlegen, bis wir Deutscher Meister sind
We will tear everything apart until we become German champions.
had continued even after Germany was reunified.
FC Union Du sollst leuchten, wie der hellste Heiligenschein.
FC Union, you will shine like the brightest halo.
The fans formed ranks of steel and ceaselessly sang their chants toward the players,
Und überall wird es schallen, FC Union unser Verein.
And everywhere, our club FC Union, it will ring out.
The resolve to win at home was beginning to return to the eyes of Union Berlin’s players.
***
Union Berlin’s players quickly grew exhausted under Bayern Munich’s relentless offensive.
And most painful of all was not knowing how much time remained in the match.
Bayern’s continuous attacks gave them no chance to turn their heads and check the time.
The players had to concentrate as much as possible on the match unfolding before them.
They had a powerful feeling that if they lost focus even for a moment, they would concede immediately.
The voices of Union Berlin’s players faded from the field,
replaced by their ragged breathing.
As the match wore them down and they began to feel like giving up,
“Dem Morgengrauen entgegen, ziehn wir gegen den Wind. (We will advance toward dawn, facing the wind.)”
Union Berlin’s chant rang out.
‘Just a little longer…. Let’s hang in there just a little longer.’
Buoyed by the fans’ support, Union Berlin’s players decided to summon a little more strength.
Union Berlin’s players squeezed out even their last remaining shred of stamina and held off Bayern Munich’s attack,
and the match ended when Thiago Silva cleared the ball beyond the touchline.
Peeeeep─! Peep! Beep!
The moment the match ended, the players collapsed onto the grass.
They didn’t even have the strength left to cheer their victory.
***
“The match! The match is over! They’ve won! Champions! Union Berlin are champions! Union Berlin, who endured a financial crisis, fell to the fourth tier, and reached the brink of bankruptcy! In just four years, they lift the league championship trophy!!”
“Ah! The fans are beginning to storm onto the field! They’re grabbing Manager Park Chan-hyuk and lifting him up! Just look at the fans’ faces! They’re filled with joy and tears!”
The instant the referee’s whistle rang out, Union Berlin’s spectators began storming onto the field.
After all, they had won the title by beating “that” Bayern Munich twice.
“I would say that this moment is possible because the fans protected the team without ever losing hope during its most difficult period, in the darkness!”
“That’s right! I believe the feelings of those fans, coming together one by one, created the miracle we’re witnessing now!”
“No one could have predicted this before the season began. I never dreamed I’d truly get to say these words. The 2008/2009 season! The Bundesliga champions are Union Berlin, the club forged in blood!!!”
Union Berlin….
For the first time in the club’s history.
And not merely in the Bundesliga—in the history of the entire world.
They had succeeded in writing a fairy tale in which a promoted team won the league title.