VfL Wolfsburg’s extra-time victory over Borussia Dortmund marked another chapter in the teams’ thrilling DFB Cup history, while it was an extra special evening for Bence Dardai, who made his starting debut following his summer transfer from Hertha Berlin.
It doesn’t really get any more nail-biting in football than the DFB Cup second round encounter between the Wolves and Dortmund on Tuesday evening. So when Jonas Wind scored the winner in the 117th minute, there was an explosion of joy both on the pitch and in the stands at the Volkswagen Arena. “It was just incredible,” said Dardai, who played for 80 minutes on his starting debut for VfL, following two brief substitute appearances.
“The coach took me to one side on Tuesday morning, it must have been at around 9am, and asked if I was ready to play,” said the Germany U19 youth international. “All I could say was ‘yes, of course’. I was a little bit nervous, but I just wanted to enjoy the moment and have fun. The boys made me feel safe and comfortable and the amazing support from the terraces also helped a lot.” Parents in attendance Dardai’s parents were present to witness the special occasion first hand: “They’ve been to every home game so far. I told them during the day that I would be playing. I’ve been waiting for this moment since I was a child.” The Berlin native received countless messages of support in the wake of such a career milestone, including from former colleagues Haris Tabakovic and Fabian Reese. “My phone was just blowing up,” said Dardai with a grin. “I haven’t actually managed to reply to everyone yet, but I’m on the case.”
