Germany against Hungary
It couldn’t have happened without keyword bingo: This is how the football evening on ARD went
Watch the video: Germany vs Hungary – all goals and highlights.
Video source: RTL
Two games, six points, a place in the round of 16 – the German national team is continuing its path to the 2024 European Championship. The reporting on ARD fit in solidly with the picture – even if it became ironic again at the end.
By Ingo Scheel
Sometimes it is important to highlight things that were done particularly well. But sometimes it is also important to highlight those that were omitted. Keyword “second group match of the German national team at the European Championship and World Cup”: In the last few decades, things have not gone all that well. 3 out of 15 is the clear odds of winning. Thankfully, Alexander Bommes and Bastian Schweinsteiger dealt with this in a preliminary discussion on the sidelines and not in epic clips that were meant to remind us of past suffering.
The focus was on the future, and that was noticeable from the start on ARD with Alex and Basti, to quote the friendly team spirit. Of course, it was not possible without some buzzword bingo, after all, this is football. Before kick-off, Schweinsteiger said that there would be an “intense game” against a “weakened opponent” in which “standard situations” could be dangerous. Expert talk, as solid as a stadium sausage and a pilsner.
EM 2024: Alexander Bommes calls for humility
Things got more emotional when the two of them stood at the centre of the Stuttgart stadium, wanting to make use of the advantages of home advantage – getting a taste of the chalky kick-off atmosphere, the men liked it. When Schweinsteiger finally called out to his former colleague Thomas Müller to shoot him a ball, he was already too “in the zone” to buff up a little with Basti-Fantasti just before such an important game. “Humility” is required in such a moment, said Alexander Bommes in view of the special situation. And it almost worked.
A slightly different picture presented itself after the final whistle. The sheep were in the bag. The victory, the knockout round, the brave Hungarians, everything was in the bag. The atmosphere was accordingly relaxed. Julian Nagelsmann looked in his short-sleeved shirt and shorts as if he had already got ready for bed after a shower. “The shorts are great,” said Bastian Schweinsteiger, after Alexander Bommes had just raised a few frowns on the national coach’s forehead. They were “not a good host” when it came to gifts. A brief pause, a relieved laugh. Of course, it was about the “gifts”, i.e. the points, and the national team was once again stingy with them. It has to be fun, the Euros only come every four years! “That was the famous mouth-wiping,” said Alexander Bommes cheekily at the end, adding that it was “a delicious meal”. Keyword standard situations: With the metaphors, maybe we should go back to the training camp.
Victory against Hungary
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Otherwise, however, much was fine, as was the case with the game, the team, the result and the commentary: Tom Bartels and Almuth Schult provided an extremely calm two-way axis. One of them was played “on a beer mat” (Bartels). The fact that you “have to see” the ball in order to “be able to hold it” (Schult) also had to be mentioned explicitly. Otherwise, however, everything was to the point, with a balance between precise analysis and solid platitudes. Tom Bartels’ wish, when things got tight in front of the German goal again, that it “better not make a noise” was nice. Almuth Schult, on the other hand, was empathetic with the comment that “you have to praise the Hungarians when they do something well.”
The inevitable link to one of the fan festivals, in this case at the Heiligengeistfeld in Hamburg, was of course not to be missed. A clear point win for ARD man Uri Zahavi on site, who came to a very valuable insight in the midst of completely disengaged football fans: “There are moments when a reporter should just keep his mouth shut.” There is nothing to be said against that, just as there is nothing to be said against Tom Bartels’ compact conclusion: “It was fun.” Indeed, it was.