A week after joining 1. FC Düren, Adis Omerbasic (25) scored what may be the most important goal in the club’s history. Düren, who currently play in the Mittelrheinliga (fifth tier), defeated Alemannia Aachen 1-0 to qualify for the first round of the DFB-Pokal, where they will face FC Bayern on Friday, 11th September (20:45 CEST). Omerbasic spoke to DFB.de. about the cup celebrations, missing home and Leroy Sané.
DFB.de: The 1-0 win in the Middle Rhine Cup final against Alemmania Aachen saw 1. FC Düren qualify for the DFB-Pokal, where you will meet record winners and reigning champions FC Bayern. How long did you celebrate this win, Mr. Omerbasic?
Adis Omerbasic: It was a definitely a long night. We celebrated in the clubhouse after the game, and there were some fireworks too. We didn’t party the whole night, although I didn’t manage to get any sleep before six in the morning. It was hard to sleep after a day like this.
DFB.de: Has your phone been continuously buzzing since the game?
Omerbasic: It almost exploded! I got so many messages congratulating me after the game – from family, friends, former teammates and coaches. It was really nice.
DFB.de: Your goal to win the game on your debut for 1. FC Düren has written your name into the club’s history books. Were you aware of the significance of the goal?
Omerbasic: Yes, I was. I had only trained four or five time with the team, but I still felt well integrated. The club was only re-founded a few years ago, but has a big future planned and is hoping to get promoted to the Regionalliga West soon. The cup win is the first step along the way. I won the Middle Rhine Cup with Bonner SC a few years ago and we then played against Hannover 96 in the DFB-Pokal. This is even better though. We will face the best team in the world right now. It’s crazy.
DFB.de: You’re actually a right back, so why were you so far forward to score your goal?
Omerbasic: In our 3-4-3 system I’m required to cover the whole right-hand side, not just defend. I also used to play up front and I’m not so bad in front of goal. I’ve scored ten goals in the Regionalliga as a defender over the past few years.
DFB.de: You were born in Bonn and played for Bonner SC for a number of years. Was it special to score what might be the most important goal of your career in the Sportpark Nord?
Omerbasic: It was definitely my most important goal. And it came in my hometown too. It was something special and I will never forget it. The assist came from Markus Wipperfürth, who also comes from Bonn and has played for BSC most his life.
DFB.de: Your team went into the game against Aachen as outsiders, as they are a league above you. When did you believe that an upset was possible?
Omerbasic: I knew before the game that we would have a good chance. We have strengthened our squad with a number of experienced players, who have played in the Regionalliga before. We therefore have a side that is capable of competing a level higher. This was proven right by our performance against Alemannia. I never had the feeling that they could dominate us – only the other way round.
DFB.de: What was the decisive factor in the final?
Omerbasic: Taking the lead early on put us into the ascendancy. We defended so well as well though and Aachen barely had any dangerous moments. We put them under so much pressure that their only option was to just play long balls. They didn’t find a way of breaking us down at all.
DFB.de: Normally you wouldn’t know who your opponent would be in the DFB-Pokal ahead of the regional cup final. What kind of impact did that have?
Omerbasic: It was obviously mentioned a lot before the game, but we tried not to put any huge pressure on ourselves. Facing Alemannia was always the main focus. The chance to play FC Bayern in the DFB-Pokal was obviously additional motivation though.
DFB.de: Just over a week ago you were still contracted to Regionalliga Nordost outfit Chemnitzer FC. Why did you join 1. FC Düren?
Omerbasic: Nothing bad happened, but I realised in Chemnitz that my head wasn’t 100% in it. When that’s the case, it’s almost impossible to perform. I took action and my contract was terminated. I knew straight away that I would move to Düren. The club convinced me of their concept. Trying to win promotion to the Regionalliga was important to me too. I also knew most of the players here and had played with a lot of them before.
DFB.de: You left Bonner SC for third-tier side SG Sonnenhof Großaspach last year, but quickly returned to Bonn. Are you unable to live anywhere else than Bonn?
Omerbasic: That seems to be the case. I have lived in Bonn for 25 years and love it here. I don’t want to say that I can never move elsewhere, but my experiences in Großaspach and Chemnitz showed me what is important. I missed home too much in those places, which were really far away from Bonn.
DFB.de: There was a lot of interest in your game on the regional cup final day. The match against Bayern will be a completely different kettle of fish though, right?
Omerbasic: Of course. The game will be shown on free TV and we will be playing – as I already said – the best team in the world. We’re not just playing FC Bayern to get close to the stars, we want to play football and impress people. I’m confident that we won’t be hammered.
DFB.de: Has the club decided where the game will be played yet?
Omerbasic: We know for sure that we can’t play in Düren, as the ground is being rebuilt. The closest big venues would be in Köln, Leverkusen, Aachen or Bonn. Presumably not many fans will be able to attend due to the pandemic. Our club will therefore try to play the game in Munich. It would be amazing to be able to play in the Allianz Arena.
DFB.de: Right after the cup final win over Alemannia Aachen, you spoke about coming up against Bayern’s left back Alphonso Davies. Could you really keep up with him?
Omerbasic: We’ll have to see (laughs). I used to play with Leroy Sané at Schalke’s academy and I could keep up with him during races in training. He wasn’t that much quicker than me. It would be great if Leroy could make his competitive debut for FC Bayern against us and we can have another race on the pitch again.
DFB.de: Let’s be honest now. Can you express your chances of winning against Bayern as a percentage?
Omerbasic: I’d rather not put a number on it. Obviously Bayern have rarely struggled against a lower-league side in the DFB-Pokal in recent decades. That doesn’t mean that it couldn’t happen this time though. I go into every football game hoping to win it.
created by mmc/dr
A week after joining 1. FC Düren, Adis Omerbasic (25) scored what may be the most important goal in the club’s history. Düren, who currently play in the Mittelrheinliga (fifth tier), defeated Alemannia Aachen 1-0 to qualify for the first round of the DFB-Pokal, where they will face FC Bayern on Friday, 11th September (20:45 CEST). Omerbasic spoke to DFB.de. about the cup celebrations, missing home and Leroy Sané.
DFB.de: The 1-0 win in the Middle Rhine Cup final against Alemmania Aachen saw 1. FC Düren qualify for the DFB-Pokal, where you will meet record winners and reigning champions FC Bayern. How long did you celebrate this win, Mr. Omerbasic?
Adis Omerbasic: It was a definitely a long night. We celebrated in the clubhouse after the game, and there were some fireworks too. We didn’t party the whole night, although I didn’t manage to get any sleep before six in the morning. It was hard to sleep after a day like this.
DFB.de: Has your phone been continuously buzzing since the game?
Omerbasic: It almost exploded! I got so many messages congratulating me after the game – from family, friends, former teammates and coaches. It was really nice.
DFB.de: Your goal to win the game on your debut for 1. FC Düren has written your name into the club’s history books. Were you aware of the significance of the goal?
Omerbasic: Yes, I was. I had only trained four or five time with the team, but I still felt well integrated. The club was only re-founded a few years ago, but has a big future planned and is hoping to get promoted to the Regionalliga West soon. The cup win is the first step along the way. I won the Middle Rhine Cup with Bonner SC a few years ago and we then played against Hannover 96 in the DFB-Pokal. This is even better though. We will face the best team in the world right now. It’s crazy.
DFB.de: You’re actually a right back, so why were you so far forward to score your goal?
Omerbasic: In our 3-4-3 system I’m required to cover the whole right-hand side, not just defend. I also used to play up front and I’m not so bad in front of goal. I’ve scored ten goals in the Regionalliga as a defender over the past few years.
DFB.de: You were born in Bonn and played for Bonner SC for a number of years. Was it special to score what might be the most important goal of your career in the Sportpark Nord?
Omerbasic: It was definitely my most important goal. And it came in my hometown too. It was something special and I will never forget it. The assist came from Markus Wipperfürth, who also comes from Bonn and has played for BSC most his life.
DFB.de: Your team went into the game against Aachen as outsiders, as they are a league above you. When did you believe that an upset was possible?
Omerbasic: I knew before the game that we would have a good chance. We have strengthened our squad with a number of experienced players, who have played in the Regionalliga before. We therefore have a side that is capable of competing a level higher. This was proven right by our performance against Alemannia. I never had the feeling that they could dominate us – only the other way round.
DFB.de: What was the decisive factor in the final?
Omerbasic: Taking the lead early on put us into the ascendancy. We defended so well as well though and Aachen barely had any dangerous moments. We put them under so much pressure that their only option was to just play long balls. They didn’t find a way of breaking us down at all.
DFB.de: Normally you wouldn’t know who your opponent would be in the DFB-Pokal ahead of the regional cup final. What kind of impact did that have?
Omerbasic: It was obviously mentioned a lot before the game, but we tried not to put any huge pressure on ourselves. Facing Alemannia was always the main focus. The chance to play FC Bayern in the DFB-Pokal was obviously additional motivation though.
DFB.de: Just over a week ago you were still contracted to Regionalliga Nordost outfit Chemnitzer FC. Why did you join 1. FC Düren?
Omerbasic: Nothing bad happened, but I realised in Chemnitz that my head wasn’t 100% in it. When that’s the case, it’s almost impossible to perform. I took action and my contract was terminated. I knew straight away that I would move to Düren. The club convinced me of their concept. Trying to win promotion to the Regionalliga was important to me too. I also knew most of the players here and had played with a lot of them before.
DFB.de: You left Bonner SC for third-tier side SG Sonnenhof Großaspach last year, but quickly returned to Bonn. Are you unable to live anywhere else than Bonn?
Omerbasic: That seems to be the case. I have lived in Bonn for 25 years and love it here. I don’t want to say that I can never move elsewhere, but my experiences in Großaspach and Chemnitz showed me what is important. I missed home too much in those places, which were really far away from Bonn.
DFB.de: There was a lot of interest in your game on the regional cup final day. The match against Bayern will be a completely different kettle of fish though, right?
Omerbasic: Of course. The game will be shown on free TV and we will be playing – as I already said – the best team in the world. We’re not just playing FC Bayern to get close to the stars, we want to play football and impress people. I’m confident that we won’t be hammered.
DFB.de: Has the club decided where the game will be played yet?
Omerbasic: We know for sure that we can’t play in Düren, as the ground is being rebuilt. The closest big venues would be in Köln, Leverkusen, Aachen or Bonn. Presumably not many fans will be able to attend due to the pandemic. Our club will therefore try to play the game in Munich. It would be amazing to be able to play in the Allianz Arena.
DFB.de: Right after the cup final win over Alemannia Aachen, you spoke about coming up against Bayern’s left back Alphonso Davies. Could you really keep up with him?
Omerbasic: We’ll have to see (laughs). I used to play with Leroy Sané at Schalke’s academy and I could keep up with him during races in training. He wasn’t that much quicker than me. It would be great if Leroy could make his competitive debut for FC Bayern against us and we can have another race on the pitch again.
DFB.de: Let’s be honest now. Can you express your chances of winning against Bayern as a percentage?
Omerbasic: I’d rather not put a number on it. Obviously Bayern have rarely struggled against a lower-league side in the DFB-Pokal in recent decades. That doesn’t mean that it couldn’t happen this time though. I go into every football game hoping to win it.
