Latest news with #MitchKniat
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fans welcome Bielefeld back home with big party despite Cup defeat
Bielefeld fans greet their team in a motorcade through the city one day after losing the German DFP Cup final against VfB Stuttgart. David Inderlied/dpa Arminia Bielefeld were received back home with an enthusiastic reception from the fans on Sunday despite the 4-2 defeat to VfB Stuttgart in the German Cup final the day before. The team paraded in a large party truck from their Bielefeld Alm stadium to the city's old town hall, while fans euphorically cheered for coach Mitch Kniat and his players singing party hits and club chants. Captain Mael Corboz was at the front of the truck and proudly carried the third division trophy. The title also granted Bielefeld promotion to the second division next season. Bielefeld fans greet their team in a motorcade through the city one day after losing the German DFP Cup final against VfB Stuttgart. David Inderlied/dpa
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Despite final heartbreak: Bielefeld's record is here to stay
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here. In the end, Arminia Bielefeld's cup fairy tale did not have a happy ending. They lost 2:4 to VfB Stuttgart. After the early 0:3 shock, the comeback failed to materialize. So the Swabians celebrated not only the title but also looked forward to international travel next season. Because of the DFB Cup win, the Bundesliga team is now also represented in the Europa League. For Arminia, it may be a weak consolation at the moment, but the future second-division team has still made history. Another reason for DSC to be incredibly proud of what they have achieved! After Hertha BSC II (1993), Energie Cottbus (1997), and Union Berlin (2001), Mitch Kniat's team was the fourth third-division team to reach the cup final. However, the predecessors never managed a goal. When Julia Kania scored in the 83rd minute yesterday against VfB Stuttgart to make it 1:4, a third-division team was able to celebrate their own goal for the first time in the final's history. And the Bielefeld team immediately extended their own record: just two minutes later, Josha Vagnoman was forced into an own goal. Two goals from a team from League 3 in the DFB Cup final? The men from the Alm can be incredibly proud of that! And who knows, maybe the Bielefeld team will make it back to the cup final someday. "That's an incentive to come back here again," Kniat had said after the final whistle. Besides the disappointment, pride also prevailed. "Nevertheless, one can be proud of what we have achieved. What the fans, what all of Bielefeld did in Berlin, was unique." The fans would surely have no problem traveling to Berlin again. 📸 Christian Kaspar-Bartke - 2025 Getty Images
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Despite final defeat: Bielefeld's record is here to stay
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here. In the end, Arminia Bielefeld's cup fairy tale did not have a happy ending. They lost 2:4 against VfB Stuttgart. After the early 0:3 shock, the comeback did not materialize. Thus, the Swabians not only celebrated the title in the end, but they can also look forward to international travels in the next season. Because through the DFB Cup, the Bundesliga team is now also represented in the Europa League. Advertisement For Arminia, it may currently be a small consolation, but the future second division team has still made history. Another reason for DSC to be incredibly proud of what they have achieved! After Hertha BSC II (1993), Energie Cottbus (1997), and Union Berlin (2001), the team of Mitch Kniat was the fourth third division team that made it to the cup final. However, the predecessors never managed to score a goal. When Julia Kania scored 1:4 against VfB Stuttgart in the 83rd minute yesterday, a third division team was allowed to celebrate their own goal in the final history for the first time. And the Bielefelders expanded their own record: Just two minutes later, Josha Vagnoman was forced into an own goal. Two goals from a third division team in the DFB Cup final? The men from the Alm can be incredibly proud of that! Advertisement And who knows, maybe the Bielefelders will make it back to the cup final someday. "This is an incentive to come back here," Kniat had said after the final whistle. Besides the disappointment, however, pride also predominates. "Nevertheless, we can be proud of what we have achieved. What the fans, what all of Bielefeld tore down in Berlin, was unique." The fans would surely not mind traveling to Berlin again. 📸 Christian Kaspar-Bartke - 2025 Getty Images
Forbes
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
VfB Stuttgart End Bielefeld's Fairytale Run To Win The DFB Pokal
Head coach Sebastian Hoeneß has guided VfB Stuttgart to the club's fourth DFB Pokal triumph (Photo ... More by Tom Weller/picture alliance via Getty Images) Arminia Bielefeld's fairytale run in the DFB Pokal is over. On Saturday, Bielefeld lost 4-2 to Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart in front of 75,000 fans at a fully packed Olympiastadion. The goalscorers were Nick Woltemade (15'), Enzo Millot (22' & 66'), and Deniz Undav (28') in front of 75,000 fans at a fully packed Olympiastadion in Berlin. Julian Kania (83') and Josha Vagnoman (85' OT) scored for Bielefeld. It could have been all very different, though. In the 12th minute, Noah Joel Sarenren Bazee received the ball inside the box. His shot beat Stuttgart keeper Alexander Nübel but hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced back into the field. 'We were lucky to not be behind at this stage,' Stuttgart head coach Sebastian Hoeneß said. Three minutes later, Stuttgart star striker Woltemade broke through Bielefeld's backline and scored the opener. It was the first of three goals for the Bundesliga club in the first half. 'Too be honest, Stuttgart was the better team,' Bielefeld head coach Mitch Kniat said after the tame. 'We had a good chance to start the game. Perhaps if that one goes in. The result would have been a bit different. Stuttgart was coldblooded with their chances.' Indeed, it was impressive how Stuttgart decoded a Bielefeld side that had eliminated one 2. Bundesliga, and four Bundesliga clubs are on their way to the German Cup final. The first victim was second-division side Hannover. Then followed first-division clubs Union Berlin (2-0), SC Freiburg (3-1), Werder Bremen (2-1), and last year's champions Bayer Leverkusen (2-1). In Freiburg and Leverkusen, Bielefeld beat two teams that finished in the Bundesliga's top six this season. Freiburg, in fact, only just about missed out on finishing in the Champions League spots. For Arminia Bielefeld, the DFB Pokal run ended in disappointment. (Photo by Sebastian ... More Gollnow/picture alliance via Getty Images) 'I want to voice my respect towards Bielefeld,' Stuttgart left-back Maximilian Mittelstädt said. 'They didn't play like a third division side. It was a worthy final.' Playing against those top teams, Bielefeld, coached by Kniat, didn't rely on luck. Instead, Bielefeld outplayed their Bundesliga opponents. The result against Leverkusen could have been much bigger than just a 2-1 victory. Against Stuttgart, too, Bielefeld controlled much of the ball, ending the game with 59% possession. The 3. Liga team also played (463 vs 332) and completed more passes (381 vs 259), but it felt like Stuttgart was doing this by design. Unlike the previous Bundesliga opponents, Stuttgart boss Hoeneß seemed to have decoded Bielefeld a bit. The Swabians were happy handing over the ball and hitting Bielefeld with the counters that made Die Arminia dangerous in the previous cup rounds. Still, it was a fine line that Stuttgart walked. What if the early Sarenren Bazee chance had gone in? What could have been possible for the third division side was highlighted in the last ten minutes when first Kania and then Vagnoman halved the lead. For a few minutes, Stuttgart seemed to be on the brink of a late collapse. With the Bielefeld fans in their backs, Die Arminia pushed and pushed, but the third goal that would have probably seen Stuttgart collapse didn't come. So, there was no Pokal sensation in the final round. Still, Bielefeld's performance this season is sensational. Two years ago, the club was on the edge of financial collapse after being relegated to the 3. Liga, but it is now back in the 2. Bundesliga after impressively winning the 3. Liga. Despite the DFB Pokal defeat to VfB Stuttgart, Bielefeld head coach Mitch Kniat can look back to a ... More successful campaign. (Photo by Tom Weller/picture alliance via Getty Images) 'We are very proud of what we have achieved,' Kniat said. 'Of course, tomorrow, when we are being welcome in the cityhall, pride about what we have achieved will gloss over everything. But today is tricky.' Furthermore, as chief commercial officer Christoph Wortmann outlined in a recent interview, Bielefeld's run to the semifinal earned the club €7.5 million ($8.5 million). Reaching the final guarantees another €2.88 million ($3.27 million). That money will be a significant boost for the club ahead of the 2025/26 2. Bundesliga campaign. Head coach Kniat and CFO Wortmann can now use those resources to build a competitive second division team. 'This season is motivation for us,' Kniat said. 'It is motivation to do it again next season but this time to win the cup. It drives us every day.' As for Stuttgart, the Pokal campaign rescues a somewhat disappointing season in the Bundesliga and the Champions League. Although the club reached the minimum goal of finishing in the top half of the table, ninth place after finishing second the year prior. In the Champions League, Stuttgart failed to reach the knockout stages. The Pokal helps to crown a mediocre domestic campaign. More importantly, it also secures the club a spot in Europe. 'We have won it,' Hoeneß said. 'Let's just conclude that it was a great season.' Although the Europa League is a significant step down from the Champions League financially, playing in Europe will help with recruitment and should help convince star players and in-demand head coach Hoeneß to stick around.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Stress, chaos and ping pong: How Bielefeld can pull off a shock today
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here. Arminia Bielefeld has the chance today to pull off a major coup in the DFB-Pokal in their duel with VfB Stuttgart. For the DSC and its supporters, it would be the perfect ending to a fairy tale that at times also provided good material for a horror story. Over the past four seasons, Bielefeld was relegated from the Bundesliga down to the 3rd division and only narrowly avoided dropping to the Regionalliga. This season, however, the team from the Alm has enjoyed significantly more sunny days. Promotion, the championship in the 3rd division, and now the big chance to win the DFB-Pokal and thus qualify for the Europa League next season. But what does it take against VfB Stuttgart to ensure that all of this doesn't remain just a castle in the air? Of course, Bielefeld is the clear underdog, but they were in every previous round as well. The team led by Mitch Kniat fully embraces the role of the underdog. That approach has served them well against Hannover, Union Berlin, Freiburg, Werder, and most recently, defending champions Leverkusen. "We're not watching this on vacation or at a barbecue. No, we're there live. That's pretty crazy. But also very well deserved," said Arminia's coach to 'kicker'. "Just like in all the games before: We have no chance, and we have to take it. We didn't just win, we deserved to win. That gives us courage. We'll have to go to the absolute limit again against a Champions League participant, but we're ready for that," said the 39-year-old can watch the cup final between Bielefeld and VfB Stuttgart live in the OneFootball app for 4.99 euros. Just click on the match card and then on Stream. Enjoy cheering along! Bielefeld has repeatedly proven their willingness to leave everything on the pitch, round after round. On average, according to 'Statista', DSC ran 3.4 kilometers more than their renowned opponents in the DFB-Pokal. In the quarterfinal against Werder Bremen, it was even six kilometers. In contrast, VfB Stuttgart was among the teams with the weakest running performance in the past Bundesliga season (3911km). Only Wolfsburg (3895km) and Bochum (3834km) covered fewer meters on the pitch. While the differences in running performance could still be explained by longer or shorter phases of ball possession for the two finalists, the comparison in tackling behavior also speaks volumes. Bielefeld won an average of 53 percent of their direct duels in the cup, while VfB managed just 48 percent over five games leading up to the final in Berlin's Olympic Stadium. Looking at aerial duels, the pendulum swings even more clearly in Bielefeld's favor. It's mainly the basic virtues that the third-division side, with a budget of around seven million euros, will rely on. As a Bundesliga club with a budget about ten times larger, VfB naturally has much more quality in their squad. But what sets Arminia Bielefeld apart from all the other lower-league clubs that rely on these basic virtues, but usually bow out by the quarterfinals at the latest? Instead of parking the so-called bus and getting comfortable in their own penalty area, Kniat's team showed attacking spirit and, above all, courage by using their enthusiasm for running to put their opponents under pressure early and often forced them into clearances. Thanks to their enormous aerial presence, this constant harrying was repeatedly rewarded with winning the ball. Especially in the semifinal against Bayer Leverkusen, it was noticeable that Bielefeld went to great lengths to challenge the defending champions for control of the game. They aimed to take away Leverkusen's strengths in structured build-up and combination play by constantly creating chaos on the pitch. At times, it looked more like a game of ping pong than a well-played football match. One statistic in particular shows how successful Arminia was in disrupting Leverkusen's order: Alonso's Bayer team had a shockingly low pass completion rate of just 63 percent. Since there are quite a few parallels in playing style and philosophy between Leverkusen and Arminia's final opponent Stuttgart, a similarly huge effort at the Olympic Stadium could be one of the keys to a cup sensation. Because nothing less would a victory by the underdog from East Westphalia be. DSC captain Mael Corboz knows this too. With their current form and fairy-tale run, the team is heading to the final in Berlin "full of confidence," but the opponent is "an absolutely top team that played in the Champions League this season." "As a third-division team, you definitely have to be not just at 100, but at 120 percent," emphasized the 30-year-old in an interview with 'sid'. 📸 Christof Koepsel - 2025 Getty Images
