Kniat sees the positive: "Two things for eternity"
Losing, but with poise: Bielefeld showed morale in the cup final and fought until the end. Coach Mitch Kniat praised his team's attitude and, despite the defeat, saw it as a season to be proud of.
Between pride and disappointment: Bielefeld coach Mitch Kniat. IMAGO/Schüler
Arminia Bielefeld can look back on a season filled with many highlights. First, the return to the 2. Bundesliga, combined with the 3. Bundesliga championship, and the extraordinary and special cup run. Wins against Hannover 96, Union Berlin, SC Freiburg, Werder Bremen, and even the then reigning German champions Bayer Leverkusen.
So why not add another highlight and make history in the DFB Cup final? Well, Bielefeld certainly made history; the fact that DSC was only the fourth third-division team to reach the final at Berlin's Olympic Stadium is enough. Julian Kania's goal just before the final whistle was also historic. The substitute is the first third-division player to score a goal in the DFB Cup final.
However, Bielefeld missed out on their first cup win in the first final in the club's history. At one point, the score was even 4-0 for the favorites VfB Stuttgart – and that was still a good result for Arminia. "We're all disappointed, of course. There were ten or fifteen minutes where we weren't there, and the opponent took full advantage," coach Mitch Kniat said on the ZDF microphone, highlighting the crucial point.
Between the 15th and 28th minutes, Bielefeld made three errors and were penalized three times. Three mistakes that simply shouldn't have happened in a cup final of this kind. And on top of that, mistakes that a team of VfB Stuttgart's quality would have ruthlessly exploited, as ultimately happened.
The fact that the third-division team rallied in the closing stages and scored two goals is to their credit. Bielefeld didn't give up or even wave the white flag. Kniat draws conclusions from what he saw, such as, "The team works, we never give up." And precisely for that reason, and because of their strength of will, Kniat has no reason to criticize his team in any way, but rather offers them high praise.
Kniat: "The disappointment still outweighs everything""We tried everything at the end, and I can only be proud of that. I wear this medal with pride, and I'm proud of my team. Those are the two things that will last forever."
And yet, it's difficult to accept the defeat: "The disappointment still prevails. When I look at the boys' faces, I can see some tears. Nevertheless, we can be very, very proud of the season." Because you can't have a much better season as a third-division team. The only thing that eluded the Bielefelders was the icing on the cake.
