1-3! Cup victory against Schalke!

Westphalia Cup winners, German Champion Winner, 3-1 against FC Schalke 04! VfL’s U17s have crowned a great season with the B-Junior Cup victory. Undeterred by the early deficit, top scorer Mohammad Mahmoud made it 1-1 before the break, before substitute Dean Winter and Mahmoud again made everything clear.

How the game went:

A few hours before kickoff, some spectators feared that the game might not take place. Thunderstorms were brewing. But just as the whistle blew in the Parkstadion in Gelsenkirchen, the sun came out and the weather gods were kind to the 22 players on the pitch.

The better start, the better first half clearly caught the U17 of VfL. High pressing, a lot of possession and good scoring opportunities. The shot by Lennart Koerdt, which rushed just past the Schalker box, was probably the best opportunity. But the Knappen had not crowned themselves German champions without reason just two weeks earlier. A perfectly played counterattack promptly gave Schalke the lead (11.). The Bochum side picked up where they left off. Deservedly, the reward followed: after a corner by Jayden Peters, a Schalker had his hand on the ball. Referee Tim Zahnhausen awarded a penalty. Mohammad Mahmoud stepped up and converted safely (19th).

In the second half, the game was more balanced, with S04 having the advantage. The German champion wanted to decide the game in the regular 80 minutes, but failed at the last pass, inaccuracy or the strong Bochum goalkeeper. Hugo Rölleke paved the way for the eventual cup victory with a brilliant save.

With the substitution of Dean Winter (57th) David Siebers then proved a golden hand. The striker caused a lot of activity, won many duels and scored the 2:1! Mahmoud won the ball in midfield, passed it through to Winter, who left his opponent and the Schalke keeper standing ice-cold (78th). Nothing was decided yet, but victory was within reach. Once again there was a penalty for VfL, this time after a foul. Mahmoud, who had stretched shortly before, stepped up again and sank the thing in the net (80th)! Final whistle! Ecstasy on the Bochum side!

What the coach says:

David Siebers: “The season with fifth place in the league was already strong. We then had the opportunity twice to keep this season in very great memory. First in the semifinals against Borussia Dortmund, and now against FC Schalke 04. The guys went one better, which was an outstanding finish. In the last 15 minutes, we reached our physical limits, but we fought through, as you know from VfL Bochum. On the whole, our victory was deserved.”

Statistics:

VfLU17: Rölleke – Kaiser, Koerdt, Mahmoud, Peters (45. Bernsdorf), Boafo (57. Winter), Tolba (80. Kruphölter), Czapelka, Njike Nana, Bah, Erdelkamp (74. Kretschmer).

Goals: 1-0 (11th), 1-1 Mahmoud (19th), 1-2 Winter (78th), 1-3 Mahmoud (80th).

Season result: Fifth place in the B-Junioren Bundesliga West and Westfalenpokal winner! A great team performance of the U17 of the VfL! And there were also individual successes to celebrate. Mohammad Mahmoud was top scorer in the league and in the cup, Luca Bernsdorf prepared the most goals in the championship.