MSV Duisburg: Emergency Response In Progress
Sparking Memories: Duisburg's Survival Stunner against Darmstadt, a win that hid a dismal season's end
Flash back to 1985, and MSV Duisburg fans could scarcely imagine the lethargy that pervaded the Wedaustadion on a Saturday afternoon. In a battle for survival, the Zebras needed a victory against SV Darmstadt 98 to ensure their place in the 2nd Bundesliga, but only around 2,500 supporters turned up. Fortunately for these diehard fans, the team managed to pull off a 3-1 victory, securing another professional-league season for the North Rhine-Westphalia club. Little did they know that this season would eventually turn out to be one of their bleakest.
Bits of History
Forty Years Ago: Hering's Rage – 1900 Bombed Out in the District Cup
The build-up to this crucial match had been eventful, to say the least. Tensions were running high within MSV. Outgoing coach Luis Zacarias, who had led the Zebras to first-league promotion the previous season, was on his way out. His replacement, Günter Preuß, was already appointed. Both had conflicting views regarding which defender to field in the crunch match, particularly the libero position. With Frank Hammerschlag suspended and Michael Kaul injured, this disagreement caught the attention of the media. Zacarias favored Dietmar Schacht, while Preuß preferred Patrick Notthoff, voicing his support publicly: "Why have I spent the past few days training Notthoff if not for this game?"
More from the Past – The 1974 World Cup Heroes Aided the Cash-strapped MSV Duisburg
Following Preuß's wishes, Notthoff got the nod to fill the libero position. Schacht, who was already agreed to join KSV Hessen Kassel, started and played his last game as a sweeper for the Zebras. As it turned out, Schacht's farewell match would end up being Duisburg's final chance to retain their professional status.
Volker Abramczik scored two goals, one in the 5th and the other in the 52nd minute, to take a commanding lead. Darmstadt's Gunther Reeg pulled one back shortly after, but Michael Struckmann restored Duisburg's advantage mere seconds later.
Securing the victory, two decisive moves were made: Wolfgang de Beer was given an extension, while Thomas Klukas was brought in from DJK Hellweg Lütgendortmund as a new recruit.
Here's the Lineup
Macherey - Patrick Notthoff - Griebling, Schacht - Kettler, Lay, Pascal Notthoff, Steininger, Voßnacke - Struckmann (83. Schlipper), Abramczik (88. Yildirim)
From the Trenches
While the outcome offered a glimmer of hope, the performance against Darmstadt left much to be desired. MSV Duisburg limped into the summer with a hard-earned win, their future uncertain. Unbeknownst to them, the terrible season was about to get worse. [Sources – Index.hr, MSV-Duisburg.de, Wikipedia]
In the heated build-up to MSV Duisburg's survival battle, conflicting views between outgoing coach Zacarias and incoming coach Preuß about the starting libero caused a stir. (Günter Preuß, Dietmar Schacht)
With the 3-1 victory over Darmstadt, Patrick Notthoff filled the libero position as per Preuß's wishes, but it marked Dietmar Schacht's final game as a sweeper for Duisburg. (Patrick Notthoff, Dietmar Schacht, 1985)
