In Hamburg's amateur football, Moorburger TSV suffered a memorable 0:66 defeat against SVS Mesopotamien II on Sunday. Despite the heavy loss, coach Patrick Stritzki is proud of his team, which took the field despite a shortage of players. The match was played to avoid league expulsion.
Moorburger TSV faced SVS Mesopotamien II in the Hamburg district league on Sunday and lost 0:66. The team around player-coach Patrick Stritzki fielded only seven players, as two were ill and two injured. Stritzki told SPIEGEL: 'Having too few people on the field is very helpful.' The squad decided in a morning chat to play anyway, to avoid expulsion from the league due to a previous match abandonment.
At halftime, the score was 0:32. In the first half, the team played defensively, with Stritzki positioned at the back. 'We conceded the first goal after 120 seconds,' he reported. At halftime, he instructed a switch to offense: 'I'll stay alone at the back with the goalkeeper, everyone else goes forward.' Though chances arose, no goals came. The goalkeeper got injured, but Stritzki praised: 'Our goalkeeper held superbly. Without him, it could have been three figures.'
The opponents, league leaders SVS Mesopotamien II, kept pressing and exploited the numerical advantage. Stritzki understood: 'They probably had a score to settle with the sports court too.' Previous heavy defeats for TSV include 2:53 against TSV Buchholz and 2:40 against SC Süderelbe, both with makeshift teams. On Instagram, the club posted: 'Our team proved today that it's not the result that defines us.' Stritzki emphasized the fun: 'We just have fun with it, no matter the circumstances.' He is proud: 'I didn't expect all seven to say: Yes, let's do it.' TSV is last in the table but hopes for wins, like in the upcoming basement clash.