WE116III: An average match in Leipzig. An empty net goal and a disabled referee

SpVgg 1899 Leipzig 3:1 SG Bienitz
Sunday, 19th October 2008 - kick-off time 15.00
Stadtliga Leipzig (10th level, 6th amateur division)
Result: 3:1 after 91 min. (45/46) - Halftime 1:1
Goals: 1:0 13th (?), 1:1 36th (?), 2:1 60. (?), 3:1 88. (?)
Bookings: 1 yellow card for each team
Sent-offs: none
Stadium: Karl-Enders-Sportpark (cap. 3,160; 260 seated)
Attendance: 80 (10 away fans)
Match quality: 5.0/10 (average)

Ground No. 258 (new ground; this season: 28)
Sporting event No. 684 (this season: 51)
Kilometres that day: 65 by bike
Km this season: 8,005 (4,810 car/ 1,760 public transport/ 1,435 bike)
Number of football matches since the last goalless draw: 95
Number of weeks since the last week without any sporting event (Aug 1st-6th 2006): 116

Before the Match:
The typical Leipzig bike tour: an unspectacular route to a respectable length.

The Match:
Neither was it weak, nor really thrilling or breathtaking. Both teams showed average skills of playing. SpVgg 1899 had the better start, so they scored for the first time after 13 minutes. Before the break, Bienitz used one of their few chances to equalise.
After a quarter of an hour was played in second half, the hosts scored again. Right before the final whistle, Bienitz tried everything to equalise, but did not manage to score a goal - even not with their goalkeeper in the opponent’s penalty area. Two minutes left on the clock, SpVgg 1899 countered successfully due to the goalkeeper wasn’t back fast enough in his goal. In ice-hockey such a goal is called ‘empty net goal’.

Entrance and Attendance:
1€ each is the usual fair price in Leipzig. About 80 fans came to this nice ground, but they did nothing to support their team. They did not even swear at anyone.

Catering and Referee:
The most disturbing thing in amateur football in Leipzig is that most of the catering stuff is too expensive. So was it in Karl-Enders-Sportpark in Leipzig-Grünau as well. 1.30€ for a Knacker is not so great...
The referee was sovereign and made almost no misdetermination. By the way it was clearly visible that he was involved in a serious accident. The elderly man walked hunched, had just one arm and legs to two different diameters.

Afterwards:
Rapidly, we made our way home. The same way we came to Leipzig.
It was or will be the last match in Leipzig in October. The next match in Leipzig we want to watch will be played in mid-November.

See http://s181.photobucket.com/albums/x68/fchmksfkcb/081018%20SpVgg%201899%20Leipzig%203-1%20SG%20Bienitz/ for match photos

WE112III: Idyllic Leipzig City Division; two matches in Bienitz

SG Leipzig-Bienitz II 2:4 Leipziger SV Südwest II
Sunday, 21st September 2008 - kick-off time 13.20 (planned: 13.00)
3. Leipzig-Liga (11th level, 7th amateur level)
Result: 2:4 after 90 min. (45/45) - Halftime 1:3
Goals: 0:1 1st (?), 0:2 8th (?), 1:2 38th (?), 1:3 43rd (?), 1:4 53rd (?), 2:4 82nd (?)
Bookings: 3 (2 leading to expulsion) Bienitz II, 2 LSV Südwest II
Sent-offs: 87th (?) (Bienitz, foul and arguing with referee)
Ground: Sportanlage Heinz Müller (cap. 1,000; 100 seated)
Attendance: about 50 (max. 3 away fans)
Match quality: 5.5/10 (slightly above average)

SG Leipzig-Bienitz 3:0 TSV 1893 Leipzig-Wahren
Sunday, 21st September 2008 - kick-off time 15.05 (planned: 15.00)
2. Leipzig-Liga (10th level, 6th amateur level)
Result: 3:0 after 94 min. (45/45+4) - Halftime 1:0
Goals: 1:0 29th (?), 2:0 84th (?), 3:0 90th+1st (?)
Bookings: Bienitz 2, Wahren none
Sent-offs: None
Ground: Sportanlage Heinz Müller (cap. 1,000; 100 seated)
Attendance: about 90 (min. 5 away fans)
Match quality: 6.0/10 (above average)

Ground No. 250 (new ground; this season: 20)
Sporting event No. 664 (this season: 31)
Kilometres that day: 55 (by bike)
Km this season: 7,255 (4,810 car, 1,520 public transport, 925 bike)
Number of football matches since the last goalless draw: 79
Number of weeks since the last week without any sporting event (Aug 1st-6th 2006): 112

We started two hours before the planned kick-off of the first match, not expecting more than one and a half hour for 26 kilometres. We did not even need 75 minutes by bike to arrive at the ground named after Heinz Müller - he must be or have been a honourable sportsmen playing for that amateur club situated at the western edge of Leipzig.
SG Bienitz plays in Burghausen, a suburb of Leipzig, not to be confused with the town in Bavaria that is well known for its 3rd Bundesliga club. Bienitz is the name of a wooded hill between the three Leipzig suburbs Burghausen, Rückmarsdorf and Dölzig, three former independent villages that merged to a village called Bienitz (after that hill) in 1994. Bienitz was dissolved and suburbanised into Leipzig in 1999 under the names of the three former villages Burghausen, Dölzig and Rückmarsdorf.
Nonetheless, the club did not change its name.

The first match started 20 minutes later because one had to find a referee due to the not-show of the regular referee. When someone with a refereeing license was found, he took the whistle and 25 seconds after he blew for the kick-off, the ball went over the goal line. Not a good start for the host’s B-Team, when one player of LSV Südwest ran 30m straight to the goal and just hammered it into the net.
Seven minutes later, another player went for the second goal for Südwest.
When thinking ‘oh, that could end up in a two-digit result’ Südwest wasn’t successful anymore. They still played engaged but not successful anymore. More over, Bienitz II became better. Wasting some great chances - they were incapable to score although staying two metres in front of the goal - Bienitz had great luck when the goalkeeper made a mistake that led to Bienitz’s first goal.
Few minutes before the break, a free-kick was awarded to Südwest II. It was a successful one due to the weak behaviour of the Bienitz goalkeeper, who just let the ball roll through his arms.
After that we went inside the small club restaurant. It wasn’t cheap but good. Rostbrätl, onions, potatoes and salad - as good as it was - isn’t worth 7.20€. Either 5.00€ for that or a larger plate!
From some of the tables you could see the match, so we did not miss the 1:4 for the visiting team. We went outside after paying the bill and there we had to wait a while until the next but last goal was scored. 2:4 was the final result for Südwest.

After a break of several minutes, the next match was kicked-off. Although it was - as it ought to be - better than the first match, the players needed a while until they scored for the first time.
In that match, Bienitz was the better team. Leipzig-Wahren was not weak but not good enough to score even one single goal.
Nonetheless the match was thrilling until seven minutes before the regular end. Then Bienitz successfully executed one of their many chances for a second goal.
Shortly before the end, they even scored a third time. All the home fans - the youngsters as well as the alcoholics, the steward who was talking all the time as well as the family that brought everybody along to the match: mum, dad, brother, the three sisters, grandma and grandpa - applauded joyfully after that good show of Bienitz.

For more photos see:
http://s181.photobucket.com/albums/x68/fchmksfkcb/080921a%20Leipzig-Bienitz%20II%202-4%20LSV%20Suedwest%20II/
http://s181.photobucket.com/albums/x68/fchmksfkcb/080921b%20Leipzig-Bienitz%203-0%20Leipzig-Wahren%201893/