They had done it, TSV 1860 Munich of all teams had become FC Bayern’s defeaters on Saturday afternoon. On top of that, the Lions had finally successfully resisted losing points again in the final phase. Thirdly, they won a third division game for the first time ever against the DFB Cup heroes of 1. FC Saarbrücken – and yet they couldn’t be happy about all of this at the final whistle.
Niklas Lang, 21, who headed the winning goal to make it 3-2 in the 82nd minute, blocked a volley shot at the goal in the sixth minute of stoppage time and clenched his fists. For the very last seconds, Saarbrücken’s goalkeeper Tim Schreiber rushed forward. The last corner flew low into the penalty area, Schreiber went for a diving header, as did Lang, but both collided in the air. The game was about to go to the final whistle, but Lang remained lying there, apparently unconscious.
The stands cheered for a moment, then the stadium became quiet
A Saarbrücken player knelt next to Lang and called for a doctor. The Sixties bench cheered for a moment, then the stadium became quiet. Teammates held a fan flag over him while he was treated by paramedics. Lang was later carried off the lawn. “You get a shock at first,” said Sixty’s Jesper Verlaat shortly afterwards at Magentasport, “that overshadows the game.” But the captain was able to give the all-clear: In the end, Niklas Lang was at least approachable again: “He’s the man of the day either way.”
There has been a lot of talk in the Sixties over the past few days about how they keep depriving themselves of their reward in the final stages. Because without the final quarter of an hour, the team would be in second place in the third league table. After the narrow victory in Saarbrücken, coach Maurizio Jacobacci was initially under the impression that Lang’s knockout had left, only to then remark: “You can see how determined we were to bring home the victory.” Lang also managed to do that “with a hopefully not serious injury”. Late on Saturday evening it was said that he was on the mend and could return to Munich with the team. One could also say: Lang seriously risked his health in this scene so that Sixty could go home from Saarland with three points.
In fact, at least looking at the table will have a calming effect on your nerves. Even though the Lions were once again on the verge of not scoring fully after taking the lead, this time it was a little different than usual.
1860 appeared more determined – and allowed itself to be lulled again
Perhaps the coach’s T-shirt appeal also had an impact: Maurizio Jacobacci was on Friday with a “Stronger together into the future!” sat on his chest in the press conference. The team appeared extremely determined and determined in the first few minutes and immediately looked for their chances, where they usually always make sure not to make any mistakes. The determination paid off, Sixty used his first two chances to take a seemingly comfortable lead. Morris Schröter, who had been suspended a week earlier for a controversial yellow-red card, took the lead in the fourth minute of the game after a pass from Fabian Greilinger. And he added more in the 16th minute when he dizzyed the Saarbrücken defense and scored from a tight angle. “We missed the beginning a bit,” said Richard Neudecker from Saarbrücken, who was still injured and who played for Sixty for five years, during the break.
But then the team spirit seemed to float out of the stadium with all the smoke from the pyrotechnics set off by sixty fans. The team allowed itself to be lulled, and this time the collapse did not come in the final quarter of an hour, but in the final quarter of an hour of the first half. At 1-2, the entire defense was duped when Manuel Zeitz stole away at the second post and volleyed in (39′). Two minutes later, Amine Naifi equalized after a corner (41′). That also annoyed captain Verlaat, but he thought: “I’d rather get the goals in the first half than right before the end.”
However, with Lang’s 3:2 in the final phase, which from Sixty’s point of view was much happier, the game was somewhat counteracted. Goalkeeper David Richter also had to distinguish himself several times with brilliant saves (24th, 90th + 3), for him it was probably the last game for the time being – coach Jacobacci had announced that Marco Hiller would be back in goal next weekend after his knee injury in October becomes.
During the international break, the Lions will play in the quarter-finals of the Association Cup against Bayernliga club FC Pipinsried. In the 2017/18 regional league season, 1860 Munich secured the championship in Pipinsried and won the first in Saarbrücken in the promotion games, also 3-2. There could be days with nice parallels to the past for Sixty, but only if Niklas Lang’s injury doesn’t turn out to be quite as serious.