It took place in a game that had the appeal of a derby very early on in front of just over 70,000 spectators in the Olympic Stadium. Reese immediately made it clear that he wasn't fazed by the circumstances. That he didn't want to spend his life in the Olympic Stadium in the shadows, but in the spotlight. He fired his first shot on goal after less than a minute, and his second shot hit the crossbar from 17 meters – in the second minute. He stroked his white headband, which bore the green Wolfsburg coat of arms. And his pupils dilated in such a way that one would think he had been exposed to an excess of stimuli.
They were not only, but above all, acoustic in nature. He was booed when the team rosters were read out; also with every ball contact. His guard was Deyovaisio Zeefuik, who is already loved by the corner. When he held his own in a duel with Reese, he was cheered more than Springsteen in Berlin-Weißensee in 1988. There was an increase around the 20th minute. More precisely: When striker Sebastian Grönning ran an incredible pass deep from Niklas Kolbe and was then fouled by Cleiton Santana in the penalty area.
From the looks of it, it was a clear penalty, coupled with a warning for Santana. Wolfsburg's captain Maxi Arnold, who had previously played the chatterbox, considered it essential to have a technical discussion with referee Matthias Jöllenbeck. That may have fired up the video referee: He got involved - and brought about a verdict that was worse for Wolfsburg than the first instance: the penalty was conceded because the foul was committed a few centimeters outside the penalty area. But Santana saw red, Wolfsburg was down to ten men.
VfL coach Tobias Strobl immediately gave his team the signal to settle for a point. Center forward Robert Glatzel was sacrificed so that Mathys Angély could fill the defense, and VfL was then lower than the dollar in the first days of the global financial crisis in the noughties. Hertha created good chances with burning patience. And two goals shortly before half-time.
Reese and Arnold played crucial supporting roles in both goals. Before the score was 0-1 (44'), Reese let his successor Josip Brekalo have his way on the left, the cross landed at Oluwaseun Adewumi, and the Austrian fired a shot from eleven meters that was slightly deflected by Arnold. And before the 0:2, Reese lost the ball against Zeefuik. The Dutchman immediately started on the right side: This was a blessing for Hertha because Josip Brekalo saw that he could send Zeefuik deep and because Reese could no longer keep up. Neither did Arnold, who thought it advisable to press at the wrong time.
Reese is particularly noticeable when the stadium whistles.
Strobl then took him off the pitch and replaced him with the 10 million euro striker Kento Shiogai. It only took him seconds to immortalize himself on the scoreboard. He broke away from his disoriented opponents in the Berlin penalty area - and scored the goal to make it 2-1 (46th) with a shot on the move. It seemed like a kind of supernatural punishment for the fact that the Berliners had already celebrated their victory at halftime.
After the 1:2, the game seemed more open than in the first half, a result of Wolfsburg's courage that apparently grew out of desperation. Hertha had the better chances: first through Paul Seguin – who was trained in Wolfsburg – and later a Wolfsburg defensive leg saved the game in an extreme situation. Adewumi had used a heel trick to break through on the outside line, was then served by Jon Thorsteinsson with a heel kick and was ultimately responsible for an excellent cross.
And Reese? As the game progressed it was only noticeable when the audience whistled. But nothing changed in the second defeat of the season for the gigantic promotion favorite Wolfsburg, even in a turbulent ten-minute stoppage time, although VfL goalscorer Shiogai should have received a penalty after a foul by Paul Seguin. Reese was the first to leave the pitch, shoulders slumped - as a roar of victory echoed through Berlin-Westend.
