When the "ball of God" slowed down to a fatal extent for HSV,
Fifteen years ago, Hamburger SV and SV Werder Bremen went head-to-head in the UEFA Cup semi-final second leg. The match turned out to be legendary due to a paper ball that marked soccer history. HSV faced intense mockery and disdain from fans across the nation. But the "fate ball" found its way into a museum!
"I've never witnessed such a series of unfortunate events. It's the defining moment when you let in a goal like that. Totally bitter!" Sat.1 commentator Mirko Slomka was amazed. It was on May 7, fifteen years ago, when Hamburger SV clashed with their long-time rivals SV Werder Bremen at home in the UEFA Cup semi-final second leg. The night that followed was marked by ridicule and scorn for HSV. Because something had taken place that had never happened before.
Hamburg had won the first leg 1-0 at Werder. Now the score was 1-2, but HSV still held out hope of making the final. But disaster struck in the 83rd minute. HSV player Michael Gravgaard attempted to pass to his goalkeeper Frank Rost along the outer goal line. And in 9,999 instances out of 10,000, this wouldn't have posed any problem at all - but in this particular situation, the ball unfortunately hit a paper ball, and the harmless return pass sailed out of bounds instead of landing at Rost's foot.
And, as if that wasn't enough, the subsequent corner kick became a nightmare for HSV. To make matters worse, Frank Baumann's goal was the first HSV had conceded from a corner that season. And that in their 49th competitive match.
Frank Rost cracks a joke
Following the match, Michael Gravgaard couldn't be consoled regarding HSV's elimination: "You can't have that much bad luck. I was fully focused on the ball and then it just skipped away. The fact that it resulted in a 3-1 score is doubly bitter." Goalkeeper Frank Rost, who had watched the events unfold up close, attempted to lighten the mood with a wry comment after the game: "That's how these games go. It's the small details that decide."
What made the ordeal even more bitter was the realization that the "fate paper ball" came from a fan initiative by HSV's "Chosen Few" group. As Thorsten Eikmeier from the HSV fan project confirmed: "A total of 45,000 cards in the club's colors were distributed." Johannes Liebnau from the "Chosen Few" and his fan club members had initially created an impressive spectacle with their blue, white, and black cards - but following the defeat, they were clearly disheartened: "That's an act of God!"
And needless to say, Michael Gravgaard was none too pleased. After his misguided return pass was inadvertently sent out of bounds by the "fate paper ball," he vented his frustration by kicking the paper ball away. Unfortunately, it was already too late. The corner resulted in a 3-1 lead, and this goal was also incredibly unfortunate in its own right. Piotr Trochowski had initially cleared Diego's shot off the line, but in the process, he'd shot at the goalscorer Frank Baumann, who deflected it into the goal. And to add insult to injury, Ivica Olic scored a consolation goal for HSV in the 87th minute.
"Paper Ball" becomes a right of passage
Online, some humorous fans had already posted comments such as "The paper was offside!" or "Why didn't the paper ball receive a yellow card? Ooh no, she just played the ball." Needless to say, supporters of local rival FC St. Pauli were quick to join in, printing buttons with the slogan "I love Papierkugel," and soccer fans with a keen eye for detail even bestowed the paper ball with a player profile: "Land Deutschland. Born May 7, 2009. Club Werder Bremen. Position: Striker. Status: Not for sale."
Afterwards, the curious tale took a surprising turn when it came to who had possession of the original "fate paper ball." As soon as the game ended, Werder manager Klaus Allofs received the ball from TV presenter Oliver Welke (a former footballer) and announced, "I'm keeping this. The ball will go to the Werder Museum. It will have a special place there." And true to his word, he did. Indeed, the paper ball was later auctioned off for charity and eventually made its way into the Werder Museum.
In 2004, during a European Cup match fifteen years ago, there was a bit of intrigue that added to the excitement of the night. Workers at Sat.1, a popular TV station in Germany, said that a known paper ball used by their presenter, Oliver Welke, was a copied version. They claimed that they had used a cardboard piece lying around to create the two teams' final scores and show it to the viewers. There was never a clear answer about the truth behind the incident. However, it was just one more crazy detail in the event that happened in 2009.
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In the same Soccer Bundesliga era, Werder Bremen and Hamburger SV had a fierce rivalry, often clashing in crucial matches. During one such encounter, a Soccer match between them in the UEFA Cup semi-final second leg, HSV faced an unfortunate turn of events.
Since the infamous 'fate paper ball' incident, the rivalry between Werder Bremen and Hamburger SV in Soccer Bundesliga has been a topic of amusement and nostalgia for many football fans.
Source: www.ntv.de
