AWhen Jürgen Klinsmann switched to Tottenham Hotspur almost thirty years ago, there was not exactly enthusiasm in England. The blond German was known for sometimes theatrically falling to the ground in the penalty area with the slightest touch in an attempt to win a penalty. That didn’t go over well on the island when Klinsmann got there. In England they call such players “divers”. The striker met the rejection with humor. At his introduction, he laughingly asked the journalists whether there were actually diving schools in London.
But Klinsmann didn’t need any water to dive. When he first scored for Tottenham, he threw himself face down on the pitch and slid towards the cheering fans. It became his trademark. And since Klinsmann scored often, he quickly won the hearts of the English with his humorous handling of his blemish. That also applies to Oliver Glasner among the Frankfurt fans. Ever since the dream trip across the continent last season, which ended with victory in the Europa League, the coach has had a permanent place in the heart of Europe.
When the Frankfurters celebrated a party in Barcelona on their European trip a good year ago, Glasner slid across the lawn for the first time, at the time through a trellis of his players in front of the fan curve. At that time, a seam on his pants tore. During the European Cup triumph in Seville, the dry grass prevented a long slide. But now, on Wednesday evening in Stuttgart, it worked again. Glasner took a running start and slid towards the cheering fans. The trousers held up, only the white shirt, which the Austrian had put on shortly before, had clearly visible grass stains on the stomach.
“Diversity is just part of it”
By June 3, they should be gone after a wash, when the motto that was printed comes true: “We saw Eintracht in the final”. Because that’s where the Frankfurters are again. After the dramatic 3-2 victory in the semifinals at VfB Stuttgart, Glasner’s team made it into the final for the first time since winning the DFB Cup in 2018. Opponent in a month is in the Berlin Olympic Stadium in Leipzig. That had to be celebrated. “The Diver is simply part of our great triumphs,” said Glasner on the Sky TV channel about his slide insert.
The fact that he showed a Klinsmann copy in Stuttgart of all places, where the originator of this jubilation began his career, was just one of the many stories of a football evening that was enthusiastic, even if everyone who supported VfB was disappointed in the end. A breathless game with five goals and a final scene that drove the suspense to the extreme was required. Because the Stuttgart goal by Tiago Tomás (19th minute) was followed by the Frankfurt turn by Evan N’Dicka (51st), Daichi Kamada (55th) and Randal Kolo Muani (penalty, 77th), before Enzo Millot (83 .) shortened.
“The diver is simply part of our great triumphs”: Eintracht coach Oliver Glasner
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Image: Reuters
Deep in added time, a scream went through the Stuttgart stadium. It wasn’t a scream of terror, more of a hope of a penalty. Because the ball flew into the arm of Frankfurt’s Aurélio Buta – and that in the penalty area. Many saw that, including referee Daniel Schlager. The question that he was not the only one to ask himself: Was it a punishable handball? Shortly before Butas touched, VfB striker Serhou Guirassy changed the direction of the ball slightly. Schlager saw all of this again on the screen with the video assistant in his ear while everyone was waiting for his decision.
