According to the visiting coaches, Stralau’s approach came as little surprise, as they had already observed their opponent during the preseason and incorporated their aggressive pressing style into their own game plan. Thus, after a quarter of an hour, BFC Preussen’s build-up play slowly but surely became more controlled, and their forays into the opponent’s half increased. However, that didn’t stop Berolina from creating further chances; in particular, the resulting free kicks posed a significant threat in the Preussen penalty area. Within a few moments around the 25-minute mark, first a free kick and then the resulting corner—both taken by Stralau’s Auzik—had the visitors’ bench holding its breath. Thanks to a brilliant save by the goalkeeper, Preussen kept a clean sheet and was able to weather further attacking efforts.

When a Berolina player then went down in the penalty area, the spectators were already anticipating the much-needed opening goal. But lo and behold, thanks to another brilliant save, the shot aimed low and to the lower left was blocked, giving the team a new lease on life. From that point on, the Preussen players were a bit more aggressive and got into the game much better. What was missing was ball control in the opponent’s half and the right touch when selecting a teammate in the final third of the field.

Right in the midst of the visitors’ strongest spell of the game so far, Stralau scored the opening goal (42'). Kulisch calmly and skillfully finished off a cross into the back of the defense with his left foot into the right corner; Preussen’s defense had previously been unable to clear the ball cleanly from the penalty area, and the intense pressure from the opening stages was ultimately rewarded. No sooner had the cheers died down throughout the stadium than the ball found the back of the net again, and once more the Stralau supporters celebrated. After a turnover near the midfield line, Lazetic—who had come on as a substitute just a few minutes earlier—was on the spot and lifted the ball spectacularly from about 25 meters over the visiting goalkeeper, who was too far off his line and had no chance but to watch the ball find the back of the net (44th min.).

Some spectators speculated that a broken umbrella on the sidelines was less a sign of the stormy weather and more the victim of a frustrated fan—either way, a warming halftime tea was urgently needed on the visitors’ side to help them digest the double blow just before halftime.

The second half began much like the first: Berolina Stralau pressing hard, while BFC Preussen had little control over the flow of the game and even less luck in choosing their options in front of the opponent’s goal. So the Stralau team took the occasional shot from the second line and defended the opponent’s attacking efforts uncompromisingly through constant double-teaming, while the opponent relied more on individual plays on offense and suffered seemingly easy turnovers.

That greater determination was also evident in the decisive goal that made it 3-0 following a corner kick from the right (61'). A ball played to the near post found its way to Arab, who was able to head it in unmarked from a few meters out. This was preceded by an intense challenge that quite a few visiting fans had identified as an offensive foul, but referee Lucas Schlichtmann saw no violation of the rules. Despite the high intensity of the match, he issued only two yellow cards throughout the game and credited the teams with a good sense of the boundaries of fair play: “There were a lot of physical challenges, but nothing unsportsmanlike. As a referee, you shouldn’t make a bigger deal out of it than the players do, especially when the result was relatively clear,” the referee concluded.

Even after the goal, Berolina stayed in the game but was significantly less threatening and allowed the visitors the occasional foray into their own half. The game ebbed and flowed in the final 30 minutes without either team creating any clear-cut chances. If anything, one would have bet on the hosts scoring a fourth goal rather than Preussen managing to pull one back on this rainy evening. Shortly before the end, a Berolina attacker found himself free in front of the goal, but his shot was saved by the keeper. Of course, this did nothing to dampen the good spirits on the Stralau side, while BFC Preussen left the field visibly disappointed but proved to be gracious losers: “We’d all imagined things going differently beforehand, but we’re also realistic. Many players left us after the relegation, and we want to have as smooth a season as possible. Stralau had the better chances today; we’re lucky to have gotten away with a 3–0 loss. I thought it was brave of them to keep pushing after the break. Their courage paid off, and you can’t help but congratulate them. They played with good intensity; we tried to solve it through our play and were punished for it—among other things, with the penalty kick,” summarized the coaching staff after the match.

Beaming with joy, Stralau coach Cem Torlak—who was extremely pleased with his team—came to the postgame interview: “We told the guys before the game that we’d already made history today, even before the opening whistle, with our first appearance in the Berlin-Liga. We wanted to play forechecking and win the one-on-one battles, and the guys executed that very well tactically. Winning the home opener in front of such a big crowd is, of course, the best thing. We need to establish ourselves in the league and prove ourselves here for three, four, or five years so we can bring the other youth teams along with us. All the boys wore their jerseys with pride, and even those who didn’t play as much fought hard and gave it their all.”

League Director Martin Hartmann congratulated the winners after the game and expressed great satisfaction with the start of the new Berlin League season, especially since donations were once again made to Children’s Cancer Aid: “We’ve put a lot of effort into the organization over the past few weeks, and the Youth Committee team, along with Berolina Stralau as the host club, provided a fantastic setting. From the kids leading the players onto the field to the on-site catering, everything went smoothly, and in the end, everyone involved was rewarded with an impressive game. Congratulations to Berolina Stralau and thank you to everyone who supported us and donated to Kinderkrebshilfe!”