Big clubs like Manchester United and Inter Milan, long trips to Ukraine or Greece – all were possible for the Werkself in the Round of 16. In the end, Dietmar ‘Didi’ Hamann drew out Rangers as the opponents. The unanimous reaction in the Black and Reds camp in Leverkusen: massive anticipation! And Rudi Völler, sporting managing director, declared after the draw: “Glasgow (Rangers) have wonderful fans and it will be a special experience for our supporters!”
It all finally got going last Wednesday: The Werkself completed the final pre-match training session ahead of the Rangers game at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium, while we, as the travelling club media team, made final preparations in the catacombs of the BayArena before setting off by coach to Cologne/Bonn Airport. The coronavirus pandemic that is dominating the news now was an issue on that morning but the current restrictions were unpredictable at the time.
The unusual quiet at the Cologne/Bonn Airport was particularly noticeable. Only the neighbouring gate saw a group of travellers gather for a flight to Istanbul. Otherwise: empty corridors, escalators and shops. The Bayer 04 team and support staff arrived at Terminal 2. On a table for the travelling VIP guests and sponsors, along with the traditional friendship scarfs and pocket guides for the Rangers game, were small sanitisers.
Hot foot through the security checks, it was down the stairs in the direction of the buses to take the passengers to the aeroplane. But we first had to undergo a successful temperature measurement with an infrared forehead thermometer carried out by Dr. Karl-Heinrich Dittmar, the medical director at Bayer 04. The flight took off after everybody had successfully completed the check.
We landed in Glasgow ninety minutes later. A coach took us straight from the airport to Ibrox Stadium. Press conference, viewing the stadium, sorting out final details with the Rangers media colleagues. The latter informed us in a friendly but firm manner: “We know it‘s rude. But we are not allowed to shake hands with you. Advice from our medical department.” As Obelix said: “The Brits are mad...” – or at least we thought so at the time.
By breakfast on the day of the match, there were ever-increasing reports of coronavirus and the effects of this pandemic on life in Europe were evident: Postponement of Europa League matches, games played behind closed doors, reports of infected football players. MARCA – a sports journal in Spain – announced all European games had been called off. A frenzy of activity ensued. Mobile phones were no longer silent, all the usual websites were checked. Over the course of the afternoon, and after contacting various people at UEFA, it all became clear: The match at Ibrox will be played – in front of a crowd.
On the one hand, relief, as that was why we flew to Glasgow and playing the game suggested ‘normality’ in crazy times. On the other hand, everything felt so surreal and uncertainty grew after each piece of news, from tweet to tweet, from one breaking news flash to the next. Finally, in the afternoon, the coach journey to the venue of the Europa League clash. The familiar routines were working again.
Even the media entrance reflected the unique atmosphere of the Ibrox Stadium: Beyond large, creaking wooden doors was the press conference room. The video colleagues filmed the arrival of the Werkself from a wooden staircase in the foyer, which looked more like a venerable hotel than a football stadium. The doorman… or rather the Rangers member of staff greeted visitors in the perfect British manner: “Welcome to Ibrox”. The charm of the Rangers venue and the associated decades of football tradition was palpable in every nook and cranny and the subject of coronavirus was forgotten for a short while.
We made our way to the press box 30 minutes before kick-off. While they are separated from the fans to a certain extent in German grounds, the spectators at Ibrox were almost able to read what we were typing on our laptops on the wooden tables. How it feels if hardened Rangers fans were unable to see their players for even a few seconds, was experienced by the Werkself Radio colleagues. “Hey, sit down!” was one of the more polite comments to the standing commentators who quickly sat down after that. “Welcome to Ibrox…”
The great atmosphere, talked about again and again in the run-up to the game, was evident for the first time when the two teams appeared. It felt like there was not a single fan at Ibrox who was not shouting for their lives to give the team coached by Steven Gerrard a final motivational boost. But the Werkself kept their cool and relied on their ability on the pitch. The piercing chorus of whistles when Kai Havertz stepped up to take the penalty on 37 minutes made your ears ache – but it did not appear to trouble him at all. Slotted into the bottom-left corner of the net – “You’re welcome!”
The clipped shot from 15 yards out by Charly Aránguiz to make it 2-0 just after the hour mark briefly kept Ibrox quiet. But, when Edmundson moved up field to score from a corner for 2-1, all the Rangers fans really got behind their team again. You could understand why this team is so hard to beat at home – ahead of the game, ‘The Gers’ were unbeaten in front of their own fans in 17 European games.
Leon Bailey did not seem to be aware of that information on 88 minutes. He left his opponents stranded in the penalty area and put the ball in the back of the net for the final scoreline of 3-1. Ibrox fell silent, the Leverkusen support celebrated. But when the players wanted to climb over the advertising hoardings to celebrate with the fans, corona hit back: Havertz and Co. were not allowed to get closer to the supporters than six feet because of the possibility of infection.
And it was also clear in the Mixed Zone that the 90 minutes had transported everybody away from the every day but the pandemic and the associated preventive measures made a quick reappearance. The Rangers players did not go through the interview area; Bayer 04 picked out two players to answer questions from the media from six feet away. Firstly about the match and then to a greater extent about the virus. And Jonathan Tah sent everybody away into the night with the following words. Asked about the possibility of the Europa League campaign being suspended, the 24-year-old responded: “If it helps people, then we’re fully behind it. As it’s not about titles but about health. That’s more important. We all see it like that.”
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