The world is full of crises, autumn in Germany. It’s good that there is something that always makes the country collectively cheer: a surprising defeat by FC Bayern. That’s not meant to sound malicious at all, dear Bayern fans, but because your club always wins everything, the days when things go differently are all the nicer for the rest. And when it’s an outsider, and from Saarland at that, how on Wednesday, the smiles of those relieved continued the next day.
Marcel Gaus is the name of the man who gave them this moment. A professional who classifies the events soberly and honestly and does not put himself in the foreground. After the game, he said on television that he first looked after his children on the pitch because they were “scared” by the noise in the stadium. “Then Dad will come through again.”
Gaus, full-back for 1. FC Saarbrücken, first eliminated Leroy Sané and Kingsley Coman as if it were his daily task in the third division. Then he stormed forward in one of Saarbrücken’s few opportunities. His courage was rewarded, Gaus scored in the 96th minute for a 2-1 win. Gaus is, so to speak, Germany’s employee of the day. He thanked someone on WhatsApp at 3:07 a.m. with three smileys.
The 34-year-old spent his career in the lower house, as the area around the second and third leagues is called. He played for clubs like Fortuna Düsseldorf, FSV Frankfurt and 1. FC Kaiserslautern. The left-footed player was also a midfielder and striker, which Manuel Neuer and those in front of him were now able to experience.
Gaus had a bit of luck with his shot because his teammate deflected it. While celebrating the goal, he first ran towards the corner flag, then turned behind the goal into the fan corner. Something had gotten into him. A crowd of happy men immediately formed and tugged at him.
The former Bundesliga club 1. FC Saarbrücken is actually having a hard time at the moment, they are in 15th place in the league. But in Gaus’ words you could hear that the team definitely had a chance against FC Bayern. “We said before the game: We believe in ourselves.” That’s why she looked for “football solutions”.
People in Saarbrücken certainly knew that modern-day FC Bayern tends to stumble. The 2-1 defeat meant the fourth early exit in the DFB Cup in a row, the third time in the second round. In Saarbrücken they weren’t deterred by Bayern’s 8-0 win against Darmstadt. The result on Saturday was deceptive; they were only superior when the Hessian Bundesliga newcomer was outnumbered. Didi Hamann, Bayern’s critic, is not entirely wrong: the team has not become more stable defensively under Thomas Tuchel and, despite many stars, has not become much more well-coordinated offensively.
However, many fans will have heard the name Marcel Gaus for the first time on Wednesday. Except in Franconia and Bavaria, where he made a name for himself in a spectacular game three years ago. In the relegation second leg against 1. FC Nürnberg, he prepared all three goals for FC Ingolstadt. It was the ominous 96th minute when he slipped past the ball while trying to clear the ball and became a tragic hero. The nine-time champions Nuremberg shortened the score to 1:3 and stayed in the league, while Ingolstadt missed out on promotion to the second division at the last second. The game was so nerve-wracking that a club fan died of heart failure the night after.
“Today I can still see the ball rolling over the line, then a pain sets in that should last a long time,” Gaus said months later. He also said that he was able to “draw strength” from the experience. After the win against Bayern, he told ARD reporters that he couldn’t remember the details of his goal, but “just saw the net wobble.” That night in Saarbrücken, Marcel Gaus not only gave a lot to the football country, but also balanced his personal karma balance.
The world is full of crises, autumn in Germany. It’s good that there is something that always makes the country collectively cheer: a surprising defeat by FC Bayern. That’s not meant to sound malicious at all, dear Bayern fans, but because your club always wins everything, the days when things go differently are all the nicer for the rest. And when it’s an outsider, and from Saarland at that, how on Wednesday, the smiles of those relieved continued the next day.
Marcel Gaus is the name of the man who gave them this moment. A professional who classifies the events soberly and honestly and does not put himself in the foreground. After the game, he said on television that he first looked after his children on the pitch because they were “scared” by the noise in the stadium. “Then Dad will come through again.”
