Demotion - Uchino in tears: Allofs announces another attack
Takashi Uchino sobbed on the stairs in the corridor for a few minutes. At 11:14 pm, the Japanese player for Fortuna Düsseldorf shot the winning penalty kick over the goal. The dream of promotion to the Bundesliga after the 14th penalty kick in the shootout was shattered. The party schedule for the promotion celebration after the 3-0 win in the first leg had to be canceled. Board member Klaus Allofs also had to deal with this setback. "We came so close to winning a spot in the Bundesliga. However, nerves didn't cooperate," said the ex-national player.
Fortuna Düsseldorf's fans celebrated their team despite an excellent season. The captain André Hoffmann, who was the second player to miss, said, "This is incomprehensible. It means so much to us as a group that people still acknowledge what we've accomplished." Hoffmann missed the first penalty kick, Uchino the final one for the Düsseldorf team, who couldn't come to terms with their loss.
Coach Daniel Thoune was clearly upset. "There's a giant void. The team has had a remarkable year, and seeing all the tears without having achieved their dream... it's unfair," said coach Thoune, who also couldn't fulfill his personal dream of leading the team into the Bundesliga. "Seeing little Takashi sitting there after such a dramatic match... That's a tough sight," the 49-year-old coach added.
Coach Thoune had always assured himself that VfL was a Bundesliga team because of its qualities. "They displayed what kind of team they are. We underestimated them. They were just too good for us today," Thoune said. Allofs remained optimistic. "We didn't play like we had been performing recently. These are the kinds of experiences one has to go through in football. Now we'll forge ahead," Allofs said. Allofs acknowledged Bogumil's team's strength, "That was an opponent with nothing to lose. That's the mark of a top-division team. We deserved to lose today."
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Source: www.stern.de
