Chapter 120
Chapter 120
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: Bayern Munich -4
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The first half had ended, followed by halftime.
“Eisen Union!!!”
Union Berlin’s fans hadn’t left their seats and remained in the stadium.
They hoped even a little of their chants would reach the players.
And right now, they wanted to savor this moment in the stadium just a bit longer.
Fueled by those emotions, the fans sang their chants throughout halftime.
Union Berlin fans’ feelings naturally reached the players as well.
***
Halftime.
I didn’t say much to the players.
Just showing them the crowd in the stands was motivation enough.
The players couldn’t tear their eyes away from the screen showing fans who hadn’t budged from their seats, waving flags and belting out chants.
It was overwhelming—borderline insane fan fervor.
Even fans who couldn’t get into the stadium had gathered around the temporary training ground to cheer.
It was because East Germany had been poorer than West Germany, and with Union Berlin’s promotion driving up ticket prices, many fans couldn’t snag tickets.
‘Next season, I need to cut ticket prices for child fans as much as possible.’
Anyway.
Even I, the manager, felt my heart pounding from the fans’ support.
The players on the pitch must have felt it even more intensely.
“Gentlemen….”
I turned to look at the players, about to launch into a motivational speech.
But seeing them glued to the screen, I realized no speech was needed. Not even the ones I’d memorized from old videos.
For the first time in a while, I spoke to them from the heart.
“Let’s win. For the fans, and for us.”
That was more than enough for us right now.
***
“With the referee’s whistle, the second half is underway.”
The second half between Union Berlin and Bayern Munich kicked off.
“Yes, Union Berlin ended the first half with a two-goal lead. What will the second half bring? Oh! Just as I was saying that, Bayern Munich intercepts a pass from Luka Modrić!”
From the opening whistle, Bayern Munich came at Union Berlin hard.
It was a matter of pride for the Bayern Munich club.
“This isn’t the Munich I know.”
Jupp Heynckes had spent halftime subtly stoking his players’ pride.
And Munich’s players struck gold right away in the second half, creating a great chance.
“Right from the start of the second half, Bayern Munich’s players are coming out aggressive.”
“It’s understandable—Bayern Munich’s pride is wounded. It’s rare to lose to the same team twice, home and away.”
Frank Ribéry tore apart Union Berlin’s right flank and whipped in a cross.
Ribéry’s ball went straight to Luka Toni.
“Luka Toni!! Header—!”
Luka Toni met the incoming ball with a clean header.
The ball flew toward Union Berlin’s goal.
Toni had directed it perfectly into the net. The Bayern player sensed a goal.
Thwack—.
A hand shot out, barely punching it away.
“He saves it! Manuel Schmidt! A fantastic stop! And the ball in the penalty box—Cap picks it up and clears it far away!!”
Luka Toni’s header was thwarted by Manuel Schmidt’s save, and the goalkeeper let out a roar after confirming the ball had gone out for a throw-in.
***
If the first half was Union Berlin’s flow, the second half was Bayern Munich’s one-sided onslaught.
“Dante! Mark that guy sprinting back!”
I was shouting instructions from the touchline more than usual.
Of course, Union Berlin didn’t just take a beating the entire second half. They mounted counterattacks and got some good scoring chances.
If Lewandowski’s shot had gone in, the game might have been over right there.
Unfortunately, Bayern Munich’s center-back Lucio threw his body in front of it and blocked it.
‘……I should’ve been out there with the team.’
Meanwhile, Yannick Foert watched his teammates struggle from the bench.
He regretted not playing in a match like this.
It stung that he wasn’t in that spot right now.
‘Watching helplessly hurts more than losing on the pitch.’
He realized it was more painful than he thought to be sidelined when the team needed him.
And he came to understand just how immense the fans’ love was.
After zoning out watching the match for a while, Yannick Foert decided to do what he could.
“Immer Wieder Eisern Union! (Always with Union!)”
Hoping to lend even a little strength, he belted out the chant at the top of his lungs.
Centered around Yannick Foert, Union Berlin fans rallied once more and started singing with renewed vigor.
***
At the 25-minute mark of the second half, I made substitutions to shut things down.
Virgil van Dijk came on for the exhausted Son Heung-min.
Van Dijk threw himself into the fray and blocked Ribéry’s shot right away.
Even after that, Bayern Munich kept hammering Union Berlin.
Finally, at the 41st minute of the second half.
They scored a chase-down goal.
‘The game’s been stop-start, so probably about four minutes of stoppage time.’
Factoring that in, roughly eight minutes left.
At this pace, Munich had plenty of time to sneak in another.
“It’s okay, just a little longer….”
As I tried to encourage the players from the touchline, Union Berlin fans’ chants echoed out.
*Dem Morgengrauen entgegen, ziehn wir gegen den Wind.*
*We march toward dawn, against the wind.*
The heavy, era-defining Union Berlin chant began to ring out.
The history of fans who gathered in defiance of the Stasi secret police—Union Berlin’s spirit of resistance.
*Wir werden alles zerlegen, bis wir Deutscher Meister sind*
*We’ll tear it all down until we’re German champions.*
Even after Germany’s reunification, it carried on.
*FC Union Du sollst leuchten, wie der hellste Heiligenschein.*
*FC Union, you shall shine like the brightest halo.*
The fans formed iron ranks, endlessly chanting for the players.
*Und überall wird es schallen, FC Union unser Verein.*
*And everywhere it will echo, FC Union our club.*
Union Berlin players’ eyes reignited with the will to win at home.
***
Union Berlin’s players grew weary under Munich’s relentless pressure.
Worst of all, they couldn’t tell how much time was left.
Munich’s constant attacks left no room to glance at the clock.
They had to focus entirely on the game.
Any lapse in concentration, and they’d concede—that’s how it felt.
Union Berlin players’ voices faded from the pitch.
Replaced by their ragged breathing.
As fatigue set in and thoughts of giving up crept up.
*“Dem Morgengrauen entgegen, ziehn wir gegen den Wind. (We march toward dawn, against the wind.)”*
Union Berlin’s chants filled the air.
‘Just a bit more…. Let’s hang in there.’
Buoyed by the fans, Union Berlin’s players squeezed out their last drop of energy to repel Bayern Munich.
The match ended with Thiago Silva clearing the ball out over the touchline.
Tweet—! Tweet! Tweet!
Players collapsed onto the grass the instant the final whistle blew.
They didn’t even have the strength left to celebrate the victory.
***
“The match! The match is over! Champions! Champions! Union Berlin are champions! From financial crisis, fourth division, and the brink of bankruptcy—Union Berlin lift the league trophy in just four years!!”
“Oh! Fans are storming the pitch! They’re grabbing Manager Park Chan-hyuk and hoisting him up! Look at their faces—pure joy and tears!”
As the referee’s whistle pierced the air, Union Berlin supporters invaded the pitch.
They’d beaten *that* Bayern Munich twice and claimed the title.
“The fans stuck with the team through its darkest times, never losing hope—that’s why we have this moment!”
“Exactly! Each of those fans’ hearts coming together created this miracle!”
“No one saw it coming before the season. I never dreamed I’d say this. The 2008/2009 Bundesliga champions are blood-and-iron Union Berlin!!!”
Union Berlin had….
Achieved the first in club history.
The first in the Bundesliga—no, the world.
A promoted team winning the league title. They’d written the fairy tale.