🔥 Two Stripes stun underdogs, seal semi-final spot in thriller | OneFootball

Today marked the Play-Ins of the Icon League – the day when it is decided which teams will compete in Vienna for a prize of half a million euros. But right from the first game of the evening, things got intense: 50,000 euros and a direct entry into the semifinals of the final tournament on December 14th were at stake. This season, the top spots in the standings are significantly more rewarded, making their path to the semifinals easier.

📸 Marvin Hill

Due to this new schedule structure, the Berlin Underdogs, the regular-season champions, faced Two Stripes United, who finished the season in fourth place. While the Underdogs arrived with eight consecutive wins, Two Stripes had lost all of their last three games.

However, on the field, the exact opposite was evident. Two Stripes dominated the early phase, controlled the ball, and put the Underdogs under pressure early on. The score quickly reached 7:1 – the champions appeared unusually weak, vulnerable, and struggled to get into the game.

In the 10th minute, Daniel Sudar narrowed the gap with two goals during the Rulebreaker '5 Shot', but the halftime score was 7:3.

In the second half, the Underdogs got better into the game. Panzu Ernesto (15th) and Sandro Jurado Garcia (16th) reduced the score to 8:5, sparking new hope. After that, the match developed into a balanced game with many fouls and interruptions. However, the Underdogs could not establish a real power play.

In the 23rd minute, Kaies Alaisame's goal to make it 9:5 ultimately sealed the game.

The match ended 9:5 – Two Stripes United secured 50,000 euros and a direct spot in the semifinals in Vienna. "A really good game from us after a long time," summarized team head Robert Andrich contentedly after the match.

For the Berlin Underdogs, the winning streak is over. The regular-season champion must now face the winner of the Berlin City vs. FC OneFootball duel in the quarterfinals.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.