Beautiful late summer football weather at the stadium on the Wurfplatz: 821 spectators gathered on matchday 6 of the Regional League North-East for the first-ever duel between FC Viktoria Berlin and Hertha BSC. Hertha recently took over the license from the well-known Hertha Zehlendorf.
Himmelblau Controls the Game
Viktoria started strong right from the get-go, with a clear direction: toward Hertha's goal. First, it was ruled offside (2’), but shortly after, Danya Barsalona had the first big chance right in front of the blue and white goal (3’). Hertha, on the other hand, struggled to get out of their own half. When they did, Viktoria’s defense stood strong.
Viktoria dominated the game against Hertha, regularly making it to the opponent's penalty area – but aside from another chance from Barsalona (17’), not much materialized. Hertha sat deep, leaving little space for Viktoria, and gradually grewstronger. Viktoria coach Dennis Galleski responded early with a substitution: Aylin Yaren came in for Barsalona to bring more variety (29’). It worked: shortly after, Yaren forced a brilliant save from Hertha goalkeeper Marie Ulrich (37’). And so, the game went into halftime with Viktoria controlling it, but nothing on the scoreboard.
Hertha's First Attack Succeeds
The second half was supposed to bring the breakthrough, but unfortunately, it didn’t come for Viktoria. With their first real attack down the right, Marleen Rohde scored for Hertha (46’). The response came immediately, but Marlies Sänger’s shot from the centre was no problem for goalkeeper Ulrich (47’). Himmelblau didn’t let up though: Sänger fired the ball over the bar shortly after (48’), and Kim Urbanek narrowly missed the target from the left corner of the penalty area (52’).
Instead, it was Hertha again who scored to make it 2-0. Once again, it was Rohde, slotting the ball in from a tight angle (53’). This time, Viktoria responded: Nina Ehegötz scored to bring it back to 2-1 (57’), reigniting hope for the fans.
Shock for Viktoria: Yaren Injured
Viktoria kept pushing, controlling the game but made far too little of their chances. The Himmelblau players worked their way into Hertha's penalty area well but after that? A Berlin Wall. On the other hand, Hertha took advantage of Viktoria’s forward momentum and countered. Inga Buchholz saved Viktoria with a crucial stop (60’).
The big shock of the match came in the 75th minute. Hertha’s goalkeeper Ulrich collided with Yaren in an aerial duel. It was quickly clear: Yaren would not be able to continue. After a lengthy treatment, Vanessa Lux came into the game as her replacement (79’).
Hard-Fought Game with Efficient Hertha
The game turned wild and scrappy after that, with plenty of fouls – and offsides. Viktoria pressed on during the final minutes, repeatedly seeking ways to get the ball into the net. A header from a corner came close but failed (86’). On the other end, Buchholz had to make another strong save to prevent Hertha from scoring a third goal. Then, it was over.
The 2-1 loss to Hertha BSC marks Viktoria Berlin's second defeat of the season and their second consecutive away defeat. However, they remain in second place on the table, tied on points with Hertha. Union now has a three-point lead, while Jena II is one point behind with one game in hand.
Up next, Viktoria faces FFC Berlin 2004 in the Berlin Cup on Wednesday, 4th October, before their next league match. On 8th October, Viktoria will take on RB Leipzig II in Leipzig.
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