First Half: A Lightning Start and Turning Points

The first 15 minutes went solidly, with the Allstars standing firm defensively, waiting for their chance. That opportunity came from a corner kick: Kris “Knippi” Kothen, known for his resemblance to Borussia Mönchengladbach’s stadium announcer Thorsten Knippers, rose high (from the opponent’s view—actually, it was a diving header, but their players were rather short) and headed in the ball for a 1-0 lead. After the game, Knippi humorously remarked, “I was too scared to use my foot, so I went for the head.”

But the joy was short-lived. Chin FC, extremely quick and skillful, responded immediately to the setback and managed not only to equalize but also take the lead before the end of the first half. The Allstars gradually lost their grip on the game. The opponent recognized the strength of the Allstars’ center midfield and offensive line and opted for a simple but effective tactic: long balls from the center backs to their speedy strikers and wingers. One of the Allstars’ center-backs kept insisting it was the opponent’s midfield playing these balls, but the rest of the team knew his football IQ was somehow limited this day, so more pressure on the opposing defense was needed.

Shortly before halftime, a substitution was made up front due to a slight injury. Marcello Finocchiario came onto the field, full of energy. After a powerful solo run by Marcello, a penalty was awarded to the Allstars, which Knippi calmly converted. Just before the halftime whistle, the Allstars regained the lead, with Max scoring to make it 3-2, sending the team into a well-deserved break.

Second Half: A One-Sided Game and a Bitter End

After the break, the game took a drastic turn. The Allstars made some changes in the line-up which was heavily debated at half time break. Net/net it definitely had a negative impact on the game in the first minutes. Despite being down a player—Chin FC had been reduced to 10 men since the end of the first half—they dominated the Allstars for the next 40 minutes. There was little to no relief for the Double-C team, as the Allstars were overrun and struggled to regain control. Unfortunately, there were no notable highlights in the opposite direction.

In the final minute, the inevitable happened: a careless foul in the box led to a clear penalty for Chin FC. The player who caused it immediately realized the mistake—Marcello could have been the cup hero, but that chance slipped away. Chin FC converted the penalty, and the game ended 3-3 after 80 minutes, forcing a penalty shootout to decide the winner.

Penalty Shootout Drama

In the shootout, the Allstars seemingly had it all in their hands. However, poorly taken, yet still unblocked penalties—three or four in total—meant the Allstar keeper couldn’t step up as the hero. In the end, the game finished with a frustrating 10-9 win for Chin FC. The German Allstars were knocked out of the cup, ending their run early.

Conclusion and Outlook

All in all, it was a disappointing result, leading to the knockout from the cup. But the German Allstars won’t be discouraged. After a short break, it’s back to business: “The Dritte will be back.” We look forward to the upcoming season – yours, Werner!