An evening in Berlin that (almost) only knows winners

Long after the winners were honored and the silver medals were presented to the runners-up, all the fans remained in the stands. Those of Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart , celebrating their club's first cup triumph since 1997, and those of Arminia Bielefeld, the losing third-division team and clear underdog in this final.

The fact that the entire Bielefeld fan base, tens of thousands of whom dominated the cityscape in Berlin on Saturday, loudly cheered their team long after the final whistle and the bitter 2:4 defeat, produced images for eternity.

The East Westphalians were the fourth third-division team to reach the cup final, achieving historic success because none of the three teams before them had scored a goal. However, after four wins against Bundesliga teams in this competition, there was no final upset.

And yet it was an evening that essentially only saw winners. There was the third-division champion, who almost brought Goliath to his knees with a ferocious final offensive. And their fans, who celebrated wildly.

There was the actual winner from Stuttgart. The Swabians clinched their fourth cup victory, the last of which was in 1997. Their fans, who had a slight advantage in the stadium's atmosphere over Arminia, also put on a fireworks display (both sides, incidentally, literally). Stuttgart's DFB players were leading the way on the pitch.

In a celebratory mood: Stuttgart's fans, here with Deniz Undav.

Source: Bernd Weißbrod/dpa

So why only winners? One person certainly felt at least a hint of disappointment, scurrying past all the reporters after the game: Noah Sarenren Bazee, who missed a huge opportunity to give Arminia the lead and thus, as a hero, made the sensation possible.

Overall, though, it was a celebration of football. A declaration of love for this cup competition in which the little ones challenge the big ones, sometimes even in the final.