- Wittmann engaged in discussions on the physiotherapist's table.
Most chats with nice guy Jannik Mause that Sabrina Wittmann had back in Ingolstadt were usually held on a physiotherapy table. During her stint as interim coach at FC Ingolstadt at the tail end of the previous season, the striker was injured and had to sit out. "They were pleasant chats," she remembered, as Mause is just an overall "super kind person."
Then, as the season's top scorer in the 3rd football league, he stepped up to 1. FC Kaiserslautern and returned to Upper Bavaria with a bang. And what a comeback! The striker was the match-winner for Kaiserslautern with a brace (3rd minute, 35th) in a 2:1 (2:0) win in the first round of the DFB Cup in front of 11,665 spectators. "We knew he knows where the goal is," Wittmann admitted after the game.
Golden opportunity just seconds away
The "Red Devils," who had lost to Bayer Leverkusen (0:1) in the DFB Cup final in May, played a solid first half and had the chance to lead 3:0 or 4:0. However, Pascal Testroet had a golden opportunity to put the Schanzers ahead just seconds in. But the seemingly shocked striker missed from point-blank range in front of Julian Krahl's goal.
"Every missed early goal is disappointing," admitted Wittmann, who was now the full-time coach in Ingolstadt for this season and made her debut on the big Pokal stage. The Schanzers were rather defensive, especially in the first half, while the guests applied the pressure and scored goals.
Intense final stages
The game took a different turn with the yellow-red card for Kaiserslautern's Jan Gyamerah (49th). The guests' defense held out for a long time, but Ryan Malone's goal (88th) came too late. Mause had to face many familiar faces after the intense final stages.
He said he didn't feel guilty about his two goals, "but it's a strange feeling" to score against his former team. His old colleagues had already given him a hard time when the first round draw was made in early June. "Before, I had to take the jokes, now I can dish them out," the 26-year-old said with a laugh.
What does Ingolstadt take away from this game?
Kaiserslautern coach Markus Anfang was pleased with Mause's first outing since the transfer. "He did well. He has a knack for finding the net," said Anfang.
For the Ingolstadt team, it's back to 3rd league action next Saturday with a Pokal vibe. Wittmann's team will play against last season's semi-finalist, 1. FC Saarbrücken. What can they learn from this game? "We've taken a step forward against a strong opponent, especially with the ball, but also without it," said Wittmann. They aim to build upon these improvements to bag their second win of the season.
The fact that Jannik Mause, formerly from FC Ingolstadt, scored against his former team during the DFB Cup match against Ingolstadt, might bring a mix of emotions for his old colleagues.
Germany being a powerful football nation, it's expected that the Ingolstadt team will face tough opponents and learn valuable lessons in their 3rd league matches, similar to the intense encounter with Kaiserslautern.
