Underdog Altglienicke Pushes Wolfsburg to Penalties in German Cup
Listen to the story
Lower-league club VSG Altglienicke faced Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg in the German Cup, known as the DFB-Pokal.
Altglienicke, considered a clear underdog, hoped to cause an upset against the much stronger opponent.
The match took place in Berlin and saw the return of player Fabian Reese, who came back to the team for this game.
The contest turned into a tense drama, with the two sides unable to be separated after regular play.
The game was decided by a penalty shootout, a method used when teams are still tied after extra time.
Wolfsburg managed to avoid what would have been a major blamage — an embarrassing defeat to a smaller club.
Altglienicke, sometimes called a symbol of Volkssport, or grassroots sport, showed strong ambition during the match.
The club currently plays its games away from its usual home, a situation described as being in exile.
Despite the difficult circumstances, Altglienicke pushed Wolfsburg to the limit and nearly caused a cup upset.
Vocabulary10 words
- DFB-Pokal
- the main football cup competition in Germany
- underdog
- a team not expected to win
- drama
- a very exciting and tense event
- penalty shootout
- a way of finding a winner using penalty kicks
- blamage
- an embarrassing loss or failure
- Volkssport
- sport played by ordinary people, not only professionals
- ambition
- a strong wish to achieve something big
- exile
- being away from your usual home or place
- upset
- when a weaker team beats a stronger one
- opponent
- the team you are playing against
Quiz
Answer key
1. The DFB-Pokal (German Cup) 2. By a penalty shootout 3. They are playing their home games away from their usual stadium
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Lower-league club VSG Altglienicke faced Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg in the German Cup, known as the _____.
Altglienicke, considered a clear _____, hoped to cause an upset against the much stronger opponent.
The match took place in Berlin and saw the return of player Fabian _____.
The contest turned into a tense _____, with the two sides unable to be separated after regular play.
The game was decided by a penalty _____.
Wolfsburg managed to avoid what would have been a major _____.
Altglienicke, sometimes called a symbol of _____, showed strong ambition during the match.
The club currently plays its games away from its usual home, a situation described as being in _____.
Discussion questions
- Why do fans often enjoy watching underdog teams in cup competitions?
- What makes penalty shootouts exciting for both players and fans?
- How might playing away from a home stadium affect a team's performance?
- Do you think smaller clubs benefit from playing big teams like Wolfsburg? Why or why not?