May 28, 2021
The Regionalliga is the 4th level of football in Germany and in total consists of 5 divisions featuring 100 teams. Four teams are promoted each season to the National 3.Liga.
The Champions of the Sud-West and West regions are automatically promoted, which were SV Elverberg and Rot-Weiss Essen this season. The other three regions rotate the third automatic promotion slot, with this season being the turn of the Bayern region, with SpVgg Bayreuth earning promotion.
Therefore, this season the Champions of the Nord and Nord-Oost regions have to play-off for the final 4th promotion place, with the play-off being over two legs.
VFB Oldenburg, from Lower Saxony, finished 4 points ahead of Weiche Flensburg to claim the Nord title. Despite being founded in 1897, the club have a modest history, and have never played higher than the third tier of German football. They had no significant names of note in their squad, although Polish reserve goal-keeper Dominik Kisiel won one under 18 cap, defensive midfielder Marcel Appiah made over 50 appearances for NEC Nijmegen, and Polish Under 20 forward Maik Lukowicz briefly represented Hansa Rostock and scored 8 times in 18 regular league matches this season. Nigerian striker Ayodele Adetula was their top scorer overall though with 10 goals all season, and Dutch keeper Pelle Boevink was the top goalkeeper in their league with 11 clean-sheets.
BFC Dynamo finished 6 points ahead of Carl Zeiss Jena to win the Nord-Oost region, which contained famous name such as Energie Cottbus ( 3rd ), Chemnitzer FC ( 5th ) and Tennis-Borussia Berlin ( 10th ). Veteran ex Magdeburg and Rot-Weiss Erfurt striker Christian Beck scored 23 times in their 38 game league campaign, whilst Hungarian midfielder Andor Bolyki found the net 15 times. Full-back Andreas Wiegel played a couple of seasons in Belgium for Waasland-Beveren.
BFC are the legacy side of Dynamo Berlin, who were the most successful side East German side, winning 10 consecutive titles between 1978/79 to 1987/88. During this period they benefited from the support of the Stasi, and being able to claim some of the best players in the country whilst they served their mandatory military service also helped !
After the fall of the Berlin wall, BFC initially attracted a number of far-right supporters and a reputation for hooliganism, but that has gradually been eroded.
BFC moved back to the Stadion im Sportforum ( also known as the Sportforum Hohenschoenhausen ) for 2021/22. This ground was their home until the mid 1970s, where the record attendance was the 20,000 that saw a 0-0 draw with Liverpool in the European Cup in November 1972.
The BFC website states that 900K Euros are required to fund the deposit required to host 3.Liga football and 718K Euros has been raised so far. Although BFC’s average attendance for the season was only 1,672, their website reported that all tickets for today’s match had sold out. In comparison, Oldenburg’s average attendance this season was 1,919.
The match was live streamed on the www.rbb24.de website, and the weather at the 14.00 local time kick-off was dry and a relatively cool 15 degrees, with a very strong breeze. Bet365.com had BFC evens favourites to win today’s match with Oldenberg 21/10 outsiders and the draw at 5/2.
Whoever wins promotion can look forward to fixtures against top sides such as Dynamo Dresden, MSV Duisburg, 1860 Munich, Waldhof Mannheim, VFL Osnabruck, FC Saarbrucken and FC Ingolstadt in 3.Liga. Dynamo would be looking to emulate the success of fellow Berlin club Hertha BSC, who won their play-off tie against Hamburger SV to remain in the Bundesliga, and a promotion for them would see a renewal of rivalries against old foes Dynamo Dresden.
Dynamo are known as The Clarets, and their nearly all of their supporters were dressed in the colour, as were the scarves and flags. However, their players wore an all white kit, whereas Oldenburg were in all Blue. The VFB fans were in good voice prior to kick-off, waiving their flags, letting off flares and had a choreographed display of blue and white. Slightly confusingly, their fans mostly wore white !
The ground was packed, apart from a crumbling terrace behind one of the goals which was occupied by the riot police and a few stewards, whilst at the other end, a space of terracing separated the away fans.
After a brief early flurry from the home side, the first piece of action saw Oldenburg send a free-kick into the Dynamo six yard box which keeper Stajila punched away, but the linesman’s flag was raised for offside. VFB won the first corner of the match in the 7th minute from which defender Siala’s flicked header was partially cleared. The return ball back into the penalty area was well defended by the home defence though.
The first shot on goal also came from the visitors, but Schmidt’s long range effort sailed harmlessly well wide. Dynamo were getting plenty of possession but were unable to create any danger, with moves often falling down after a poor first touch. They won a free-kick in a promising position on the left, but the delivery failed to beat the first defender.
A poor piece of control by Dynamo’s Brandt put his side in trouble, and VFB’s Schmidt played a dangerous pass in the direction of the unmarked Adetula, but Breitfeld made an important interception to prevent the chance at the expense of a corner. However, their safety was short-lived as Robert Zietarski rose the highest to flick a header across goal and in off the far post to give Oldenburg the lead after 27 minutes.
VFB nearly doubled their lead two minutes later when Wegner disposed Wiegel, strode to the edge of the penalty area, but his effort was pushed around the post for a corner.
Oldenburg could have scored again in the 38th minute. Dynamo played a needless back-pass to the keeper when several options existed to play to an outfield player but Stajila’s clearance was sliced and caught in the wind, and went straight to the unmarked Adetula 15 yards outside the penalty area. Unfortunately for VFB, his control was poor and the ball rolled back to a grateful Dynamo keeper. The phrase “He can trap it further than he can kick it” sprang to mind !
Oldenburg keeper Boevink was finally called into action with a confident catch of a cross from the right wing. The home side’s only shot of the half came 4 minutes before the interval. Reher made a fine sliding tackle near half-way to win possession and his immediate ball forward found Beck on the edge of the area. However, the centre-forward’s shot on the turn was blocked by the close marking Siala.
After a half with very few chances
or goal-mouth incident, Oldenburg perhaps slightly deserved to go into the
break with the lead, as the home, perhaps suffering from nerves, were poor
Dynamo made two changes at half-time, and now with the wind at their backs, BFC began the second half on the front-foot, and nearly grabbed the equaliser in the 49th minutes. After the visitors had sloppily given away a corner, Reher’s headed flick on was met by Brandt, who got to the ball ahead of Appiah but his stabbed effort from a few yards was saved at point blank range by Boevink.
Dynamo were gradually building pressure and had started to move the ball nicely with first-time passing. Rehmer’s surging run out of defence eventually led to him crossing from close to the bye-line but Beck’s header from 10 yards was going wide before it struck a defender and rolled gently to the Oldenburg keeper.
A much better chance came in the 66th minute when another cross from the right found Beck on the centre of the 6 yard line, but the big target-man somehow directed his header wide, when it looked easier to score.
It wasn’t to be Beck’s day, stretching to get on the end of another right wing cross he could only steer the ball over the bar, and he just failed to get his head onto another cross. Guerts nearly embarrassed Boevink by keeping the ball in play as the keeper attempted to shepherd the ball over the goal-line. Unfortunately for Dynamo though, there were there was no-one else up in support and the ball was cleared.
Against the run of ball, Oldenburg added a second with 12 minutes remaining. Brand was played in down the left and his cross was completely misjudged in the wind by Stajila, leaving Zietarski with a simple header into the empty net for his second headed goal of the game, and to leave the Dynamo keeper with egg-on-his-face.
BFC attempted to reduce the deficit in the closing minutes, and after Boevink failed to hold onto a cross from the left, Steinborn lobbed the ball back into the mixer, but Oldenburg were able to scramble clear for a corner. Then, in the last minute of normal time, substitute Klump was able to turn and shot inside the area, but his effort was straight at Boevink, who saved easily.
With a 2 goal lead and home advantage in the second leg, Oldenburg must now be short-priced favourites to win promotion, although Dynamo can take consolation from a strong second half performance. As the cliché says, it is only half-time in the tie, and they can take heart from Hertha losing their home leg but going onto win their play-off.
The return leg is on Saturday 4,
June at Oldenburg’s 15,000 capacity Marschweg Stadion.
BFC Dynamo : Stajila – Wiegel, Reher, Blum, Hertner – Brandt ( Kleihs ), Breitfeld ( Steinborn ), Siebeck ( Klump ), Bolyki ( Guerts ), Pollasch ( Schulz ) – Beck
VFB Oldenburg : Boevink – Engel, Appiah, Siala, Deichmann – Zietarski, Schmidt, Kaissis ( Herbst ), Brand ( Saka ), Adetula ( Lukowicz ) – Wegner ( Ifeadigo )
Highlights : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueu5HXMSLmE
