Fortuna Düsseldorf clearly won the first leg of the relegation match against VfL Bochum. Coaches and players are warning against thinking about storming the pitch.
UEFA regulations stipulate that the ten German stadiums for the European Championship must be handed over to the continental association a few days in advance. Then sponsor banners will be swapped, the media stands enlarged, and standing areas will be converted into seats. There is a lot to do, especially since UEFA requires that the stadiums be transferred to its administration free of advertising.
In Düsseldorf, work will therefore have to be done in shifts, because on Monday (May 27, 2024, 8:30 p.m. in the radio report and in the live ticker on Sportschau) Fortuna will play the second leg of the relegation match in their arena, which is to be handed over to UEFA the following day.
Relegation to Bundesliga Arrow right
In Düsseldorf the lawn needs to be replaced
One of the jobs that still needs to be done before the first European Championship match on Düsseldorf’s pitch on June 17th between Austria and France is the replacement of the pitch. When it was clear that Fortuna would be playing in the relegation round, the operators of the arena also knew that a new pitch would have to be laid. A pitch invasion is part of the relegation round, as are the discussions about the sense and nonsense of this season extension.
Since Thursday evening (May 23, 2024), some Fortuna fans may already be mentally climbing over the fence. The Düsseldorf team won the first leg against VfL Bochum 3-0. “Madness in Bochum!” was Fortuna’s headline for the match report on its homepage, and then dutifully published all the warning voices warning against a premature pitch invasion.
“There is still a return match and we have to do everything we can for 90 minutes to be as successful as possible,” said coach Daniel Thioune. Yannik Engelhardt, who scored the last goal in the Ruhrstadion, said: “If you win 3-0 here, you can be proud. But still: We have to stay grounded.”
Thioune supports warning with facts
The coach then provided a few facts to support his warning. A few weeks ago, VfL was leading 3-0 at halftime against 1. FC Union Berlin, won the home game against FC Bayern and was the last German team to beat Bayer Leverkusen.
In fact, this is all true, but after the impressions from Bochum, it is hard to believe that the four European Championship matches in Düsseldorf will be played in the stadium of a second division team.
In the history of the Bundesliga relegation play-offs, there has never been a team that has made up a three-goal deficit from the first leg. There has also only been one that has managed to do so with a two-goal deficit.
However, Borussia Dortmund needed a deciding match, which was still played in 1986. The 0-2 defeat at Fortuna Cologne was followed by a 3-1 win in the last minute in Dortmund. BVB won the deciding match 8-0 on Düsseldorf’s turf – without a pitch invasion, which had already occurred in the return match.
