If it is the case that Gladbach is currently Bayern’s feared opponent, then 96 is Gladbach’s fear maker – at least in the cup. On Wednesday (6.30 p.m.) the people of Gladbach will come to Hanover for the second round of the Cup. In 1997 they lost here to the then regional league team after penalty shoot-out in the first round. And in 1992, the cup final in Berlin, of course …
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30 years after the legendary cup triumph of the second division club over the Bundesliga club, some of the heroes met again at the 139th NP kick-off in the “north curve” – and revealed the last secrets of a season that will probably never happen again.
Pictures from the 139th kick-off of the Neue Presse with 96 trophy heroes from 1992
Pictures from the 139th kick-off of the Neue Presse with 96 trophy heroes from 1992
© Florian Petrow
The then President Fritz Willig knew even before the semi-final against Werder Bremen: “Penalty shootouts are a matter of luck, so we have a minimal chance.” Cup winner Karsten Surmann now wanted nothing to do with gambling in favor of 96: “We even have the final against Gladbach deservedly won. “
It had been a strange road up until then. 96 was a mediocre second division team, but: “We said we could cause a sensation in the cup,” said Lorkowski. In the third round at Borussia Dortmund, the journey seemed to be over. 96 were 0-2 behind, Lorkowski said to his players during the break: “We’re playing in Meppen at the weekend, don’t pick up any gossips here.”
Rehhagel turns out to be a bad loser
What Dortmund’s star striker Stephane Chapuisat has “screwed up doesn’t go on a cow’s skin, I would never have set it up again”. 96 won 3: 2, “I felt sorry for Dortmund, no team has won so undeservedly”.
But now 96 was in top form in the 1991/92 cup season – just like Lorkowski again, 30 years later. The hero revealed that Werder coach Otto Rehhagel presented himself as a bad loser after Bremen’s semi-final defeat on penalties: “He said to me: ‘Now the people have their sensation.’ So I said: ‘You didn’t contribute anything.’ “
Lorkowski also has special memories of the final: “The crux of the matter was that we watched the Gladbachers during the final training session in the Olympic Stadium. They trained as if they were preparing for the season. Schönberg-Christensen said to me: ‘Aren’t they doing a little too much?’ I said, ‘We’ll see that in the game tomorrow.’ “
At the finale, ZDF reporter legend Rolf Töpperwien went “on the biscuit of the 96 trainer, he even wanted to film at halftime”. And when Lorkowski came into the cabin after the press conference, who was there: “The Töpperwien.”
Despite winning the Cup, Lorkowski was unable to fulfill one dream: “I wanted to do more and become a Bundesliga coach – I couldn’t do that.”
In this legendary cup season, “our friends increased like the spectators round after round,” reported ex-boss Willig.
They would like to have that again at 96 today. Dieter Schatzschneider, who has just been replaced by Schalke’s Simon Terodde as the second division record scorer, thinks Christoph Dabrowski is a good coach choice: “He grabbed the chance. Now he has to confirm through performance and points that he has earned a long-term contract. “
