In the midst of a sporting crisis, Alba Berlin surprised by beating league leaders Bayern Munich with an exceptional performance. The unexpected victory aims to lay the foundations for a return to the Bundesliga, although skepticism remains.
On Sunday, more than 12,000 Basketball fans witnessed a scene they hadn’t seen in a long time at the Arena am Ostbahnhof: uninhibited and wildly celebrating a victory few expected. Alba Berlin triumphed 88-81 in this prestigious clash against their fierce rivals FC Bayern Munich, bringing welcome relief to the weary souls of their supporters.
This surprising success came amid dark times in the club’s history. The Albatross had suffered four consecutive defeats since Christmas and had only managed to win one of their last ten competitive matches. They had been eliminated from the cup and found themselves mired in 14th place in the championship.
The critical situation was evident in coach Israel Gonzalez’s tense expression during the match against Munich. “It was one of the most emotional matches of my career,” the Spaniard said afterwards. No wonder, as ongoing issues this season have sparked continued debate over his role and future at the position.
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Never before has there been such a gap between the two best teams in German basketball. Initially, everything seemed to follow the expected narrative against the championship leaders. As had been the case in the past, the Berliners started well but then lost their rhythm. By the end of the first quarter, Bayern had taken the lead and even extended it to 19 points during the second quarter.
However, after the break, Alba suddenly experienced a surge of energy and returned to the pitch transformed. The Berlin team played with passion, fought to come back, and ultimately showed moral strength and a greater will to win. “I really have no explanation why it worked today, against such a strong and pressured opponent,” said general manager Marco Baldi, visibly surprised by the team’s impressive performance.
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Like Baldi, most people probably shared that sentiment — but this surprise victory rekindled hope. “For today it’s a huge relief and a weight has been lifted off our shoulders. (…) This has to be a starting point, but we have to continue to work hard in every training session. We showed that we could do it,” said co-captain Jonas Mattiseck.
Indeed, during the second half against Munich, Alba avoided numerous deficiencies from previous weeks. Particularly in defense, which had previously been porous, they showed a completely new face. Communication was effective, turnovers and defensive assists worked well, and the physical intensity was exceptionally high — even Bayern’s star-studded starters struggled to keep up.
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In attack, the hosts were also considerably more consistent. They created a lot of good shooting opportunities — especially in the paint — and converted with a solid shooting percentage. Additionally, the scoring burden was shared among several players, with four finishing the game in double figures.
However, it must also be said that Munich offered little resistance at times. The reigning German champions appeared to visibly run out of juice in the final minutes, having played only 48 hours earlier in Madrid. Additionally, the incredible atmosphere created by 12,377 fans, mostly from Berlin, probably contributed to the hosts temporarily playing in a euphoric state.
The question now is whether the victory over Bayern was just an isolated case or the start of a comeback. “I tend to be a bit of a contrarian. Everyone was completely dejected, thinking that Alba was going to be relegated and dissolve. And now many probably think that suddenly everything will go back to normal. I think that we will still have to suffer a little longer for what we missed this year in terms of development due to injuries and losses,” Baldi said skeptically.
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Although the list of absentees has reduced significantly, key players like Louis Olinde, Justin Bean and captain Martin Hermannsson remain unavailable. The acquisition of former Bonn player James Webb III from Turkish club Pinar Karsiyaka was supposed to remedy the situation but failed at the last minute, as sporting director Himar Ojeda explained: ” We basically agreed. But then, at the last minute, an offer came from China, and he changed his mind.”
The personnel situation remains tense, even if there are glimmers of hope, such as the performance of top shooter Matt Thomas (17 points), who seems to be returning to form after a long period of absence. New signing David McCormack also appears to be the biggest consistency on the team at the moment.
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This surprising victory in this high-stakes match could now provide the much-awaited confidence boost to other players as well. “Once things start to come together, some aspects become easier, which have seemed a little tense in recent weeks. We are only human, and we realize that we are losing games and falling short of the “It makes us nervous, which leads to mistakes we wouldn’t usually make,” says Mattiseck optimistically.
The upcoming crucial clash against the Frankfurt Skyliners this Sunday will be a litmus test to see if Alba can maintain his momentum and chart a path to success. A victory in Hesse is essential to ensure that this significant victory against Munich is not quickly forgotten as a mere fluke.
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