Stand: 23.05.2022
Hertha BSC manages to stay up. Also because Kevin-Prince Boateng trumps in his presumably last game. After the game, he showed that he is more than just a player for Hertha. Coach Felix Magath also commented on his future.
Kevin-Prince Boateng only had a tired smile for his opponent. Moritz Heyer had just sent the Berliner to the substitute bench in Hamburg with a body check in the relegation second leg. But Boateng only smiled briefly at Heyer and concentrated on what Hertha’s coach Felix Magath had instructed: organize the game of Berlin and lead the way as a leader.
The 35-year-old brought order to Berlin’s midfield. He was the linchpin in Hertha’s transition game. While he was still on the bench when it was 0-1 in the first leg, he led Hertha to 2-0 at HSV in the second leg and thus to relegation.
Kevin-Prince Boateng (right) set a good example with a fighting spirit
Quelle: Getty Images/Joern Pollex
Boateng was the boss on the pitch, he took control of the game and made a mark when Hertha needed it. In the 30th minute he picked up a yellow card for a tackling.
In what was probably the last game of his professional career, Boateng was substituted in the 89th minute. Shortly thereafter it was over, a messed-up Hertha season found a reasonably conciliatory end.
“A big stone fell from my heart. The emotions are as if we had become champions, ”said Boateng. The whole season didn’t go as expected; “Today I was there again when it mattered. I threw everything out again. The coach gave me a free hand. I put together the right team with him,” said Boateng, showing that he was more than just a player for Hertha and Magath.
“Boateng felt we needed experienced people. We more or less lined up like Boateng said,” said Magath.
Bobic: “Boateng led the way”
Boateng left open whether he would stay with the Berliners for another season. Together with the team, he celebrated the lucky relegation in front of the Berlin fan block.
“What the guys did today was outstanding. We were passionate and hardly made any mistakes. Boateng led the way, he was a factor at the right time,” said Hertha’s sporting director Fredi Bobic. Bobic praised the coach as a “saviour in the right situation”. The ex-professional brought Magath in mid-March as a beacon of hope and signed a contract with him until the end of the season.
Who is the boss? Felix Magath (left) and Kevin-Prince Boateng
Source: dpa/Christian Charisius
Hertha investor Lars Windhorst reported on Twitter: “Staying up is done! I am very pleased! Recognition and respect for Felix Magath. His experience and leadership saved the club from relegation. A big thank you goes to him for that!”
Magath himself initially headed towards the catacombs after the win, but returned for interviews. Despite being saved in the relegation battle, he will not remain a coach at Hertha BSC. The “project” is over, said the 68-year-old on Sky.
