1.FC Nürnberg 2-2 TSV 1860 Munich, 36,547 (Bundesliga 2)
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| Welcome to .... |
Monday nite, Bundesliga footie and a chance to see 1.FCN a 2nd time. I was staying in Nurnberg anyway and it’s an easy journey to the stadium – any train or tram to the ‘Frankenstadion’ (they can’t keep up with the latest sponsored title). Was it one stop or two from the station? I can’t remember. Or you could tram it to the ‘dokumentationszentrum’, which in itself is a must to visit.
Anyway, since I’d been before, maybe I’d go in the home end this time. I would let my bladder decide – and it saw the length of the queues for the home terrace and opted for finding a toilet, which we did, in a relatively deserted beer garden near the away end.
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| One of the entrances. |
Mindful that I stood in the away end last time (Erzegirbirge Aue) and fancied a change, I got a seat in the upper tier behind the goal, still only €21. I was early and took my seat, directly behind the scoreboard. I still wasn’t happy, and at my next fill of meat and beer I climbed to the very back row: great view of the pitch, but the roof is so low you couldn’t see the Nurnberg ultras at the opposite end. One advantage however was that one can look out the window behind and see when the queue for beer is acceptable enough to join. (Answer: about 20 mins in.)
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| This is how central I was...near the cameraman. |
TSV took the lead with the last touch of the first half. It was difficult to tell – was it a header from a rebound, or cross? No matter; by now I was chatting to a Nurnberger whose son was among the ultras (it’s a young person’s game). Why does he choose to sit here? ‘Because it’s cheap.’
Our block was quite mixed, with home and away fans mingling together. There seemed more TSV shirts/colours but the cheers were louder for the 1.FCN goals. Yes, goals! One minute TSV were having a goal disallowed for we-don’t-know-what, then Nurnberg run down the other end of the pitch and a low cross is despatched. Minutes later, the home team are ahead. From a potential 0-2 to 2-1 in no time. Both sides continued to have chances, though on balance, one couldn’t deny TSV’s right to their equalizer, from a scramble in the box.
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| A TSV fan celebrates as smoke wafts from the away fans below. |
Although I (mostly) couldn’t see the TSV fans beneath us, early in the second half you could see the flashes of their pyrotechnics. The Nurnberg ultras meantime were content to wave their flags, which were spread evenly throughout their block. As with last time I was here, absolutely no-one waved a flag in the other block of home terrace. It’s just one of those (1.FCN) things.
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| The Ultras Nurnberg pay tribute. |
Afterwards, I wandered through the adjacent Reichsparteitagsgelände (Nazi Party Parade Grounds) and stood in Hitler’s footsteps on the plinth he made his rabble-rousing speeches from. I find it incredible it is so accessible, but all the better for it. Whatever it’s history, (because of it’s history?) I find Nurnberg an incredible place to visit.
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| It's the marmot on the shoulder which does it for me... |
The Damage:
€21 ent
€3.50 beer (x2)
€3 ‘3 in a bun’ (x2)
= €34
The Tunes:
Turns Into Stone (The Stone Roses)
Reading, Writing and Arithmetic (The Sundays)
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| The view from the scoreboard. |
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| The Frankenstadion's octagonal shape is defined. |
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| The overhanging roof. |
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| Always ready... |
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| Dusk awaits the teams. |
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| Space for advertising...cars. |
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| The TSV fans above and below. |
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| The view from the back row. |
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| The contrast between above and below. |
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| A minute's silence pre-match. |
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