On 13th August (18:30 CEST) Energie Cottbus play VfB Stuttgart in the first round of the DFB Pokal. It is a repeat of the 1997 final when Joachim Löw celebrated his first title as a manager. The then manager of Stuttgart had to honour a special wager after his side's 2-0 win.
There was no escape once Joachim Löw was on the balcony of the town hall in Stuttgart. VfB defender Thomas Schneider, now Löw's assistant coach with the German national team, gave the head coach a number one in Stuttgart city centre. The supporters cheered, Löw was somewhat less impressed.
Months earlier, the current Germany head coach had put a bet on with his team: if Stuttgart won the cup, he would have his head shaved. He lost this bet on 14th June 1997 when his side defeated Energie Cottbus 2-0 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin to win the DFB Pokal.
VfB Stuttgart: Three penalty shootouts on road to final
The two finalists could hardly have had more different routes to Berlin. The third division side became only the second amateur club to make it to a DFB Pokal final. Die Rollen vor dem Endspiel im Berliner Olympiastadion waren klar verteilt. On the other hand, VfB Stuttgart of the Bundesliga, with their magical back three of Bobic, Balakov and Elber, knew that anything other than a win in the capital would be somewhat embarrassing.
Despite the difference in league position, the Cottbuser travelled to Berlin with optimism. The team managed by Eduard "Ede" Geyer were unbeaten in 57 competitive matches. There was a huge euphoria surrounding the club at the time of the final because just two weeks earlier Cottbus has beaten Hannover in the relegation play-off to secure promotion to the second division and, with it, professional football. The biggest triumph en route to the final was their semi-final vicotry over Karlsruher SC. Energie comprehensively defeated the Bundesliga outfit 3-0 on a snowy pitch in mid-April at the Stadion der Freundschaft.
Stuttgart, on the other hand, had not exactly been dominant on their route to the final. The side from south-west Germany had required three penalty shootouts to reach Berlin. In the semi-final against Hamburg, Thomas Schneider took on a leading role, as he did a few weeks later on the town hall balcony. Schneider scored the winning goal in the 2-1 semi-final win and it proved to be the most important goal of his career.
Elber brace decides final
The story of the final is a relatively quick one. Cottbus started the match courageously, but suffered an early blow when VfB striker Giovane Elber, who had agreed to join FC Bayern the day before, struck in the 18th minute. Then, shortly after half-time, the 76,000 strong crowd in the Olympiastadion were treated to a second from Elber in what was his final appearance for VfB. The match ended 2-0.
The disappointment of the defeat didn't linger too long in the hearts and minds of the Cottbus players. It was quickly superseded by a feeling of immense pride at what they had achieved. This historic season would give the Lausitz based club a period of 19 years of professional football. Three years after the final in Berlin, FC Energie won promotion to the Bundesliga. VfB also used the cup final as a catalyst for success. Stuttgart reached the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup the following season. They were beaten in the final in Stockholm by Chelsea.
New chapter for Cottbus
On 13th August (18:30 CEST) Energie Cottbus play VfB Stuttgart in the first round of the DFB Pokal. It is a repeat of the 1997 final when Joachim Löw celebrated his first title as a manager. The then manager of Stuttgart had to honour a special wager after his side's 2-0 win.
There was no escape once Joachim Löw was on the balcony of the town hall in Stuttgart. VfB defender Thomas Schneider, now Löw's assistant coach with the German national team, gave the head coach a number one in Stuttgart city centre. The supporters cheered, Löw was somewhat less impressed.
Months earlier, the current Germany head coach had put a bet on with his team: if Stuttgart won the cup, he would have his head shaved. He lost this bet on 14th June 1997 when his side defeated Energie Cottbus 2-0 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin to win the DFB Pokal.
VfB Stuttgart: Three penalty shootouts on road to final
The two finalists could hardly have had more different routes to Berlin. The third division side became only the second amateur club to make it to a DFB Pokal final. Die Rollen vor dem Endspiel im Berliner Olympiastadion waren klar verteilt. On the other hand, VfB Stuttgart of the Bundesliga, with their magical back three of Bobic, Balakov and Elber, knew that anything other than a win in the capital would be somewhat embarrassing.
Despite the difference in league position, the Cottbuser travelled to Berlin with optimism. The team managed by Eduard "Ede" Geyer were unbeaten in 57 competitive matches. There was a huge euphoria surrounding the club at the time of the final because just two weeks earlier Cottbus has beaten Hannover in the relegation play-off to secure promotion to the second division and, with it, professional football. The biggest triumph en route to the final was their semi-final vicotry over Karlsruher SC. Energie comprehensively defeated the Bundesliga outfit 3-0 on a snowy pitch in mid-April at the Stadion der Freundschaft.
Stuttgart, on the other hand, had not exactly been dominant on their route to the final. The side from south-west Germany had required three penalty shootouts to reach Berlin. In the semi-final against Hamburg, Thomas Schneider took on a leading role, as he did a few weeks later on the town hall balcony. Schneider scored the winning goal in the 2-1 semi-final win and it proved to be the most important goal of his career.
Elber brace decides final
The story of the final is a relatively quick one. Cottbus started the match courageously, but suffered an early blow when VfB striker Giovane Elber, who had agreed to join FC Bayern the day before, struck in the 18th minute. Then, shortly after half-time, the 76,000 strong crowd in the Olympiastadion were treated to a second from Elber in what was his final appearance for VfB. The match ended 2-0.
The disappointment of the defeat didn't linger too long in the hearts and minds of the Cottbus players. It was quickly superseded by a feeling of immense pride at what they had achieved. This historic season would give the Lausitz based club a period of 19 years of professional football. Three years after the final in Berlin, FC Energie won promotion to the Bundesliga. VfB also used the cup final as a catalyst for success. Stuttgart reached the final of the European Cup Winners' Cup the following season. They were beaten in the final in Stockholm by Chelsea.
New chapter for Cottbus
Joachim Löw's hair quickly grew back and his career also took off in next to no time. After winning his first title with Stuttgart, he went on to manage in Turkey, Karlsruhe and Austria before being appointed by the DFB in 2004. He has been working alongside Thomas Schneider for the last three years.
On Sunday 13th August, the finalists from 1997 will meet again for the first time in the DFB Pokal since that famous match. However, circumstances have changed for both clubs, with Energie Cottbus now battling in the regional league, trying to gain promotion to Bundesliga 3, whilst VfB Stuttgart will now be hoping to re-establish themselves in Germany's top-flight after winning promotion from Bundesliga 2 last season.
