The round of 16 match of the SOCCA Champions League between Eintracht Spandau and Magufana from Greece was expected to be a straightforward affair – but it turned into a football thriller right up to the last second.

From the very beginning, it was clear that this would not be a walk in the park for Spandau. The old artificial turf in Crete also caused problems for both teams – players kept slipping on the abundant granules, and the flow of the game was constantly disrupted.

Still, Spandau got off to the better start: In the 15th minute, it was Mazreku who cheekily nutmegged his opponent to make it 1-0. Just before halftime, he even bagged a brace, slotting in at the far post to make it 2-0.

Spandau went into the break with a comfortable-looking, but by no means secure, lead.

Just 18 seconds after the restart, Telli increased the lead to 3-0 after an impressive ball roll and a clinical finish.

Everything pointed to Spandau picking up right where they left off in the group stage – with dominant, high-scoring performances.

But Magufana did not give up. Driven on by a loud Greek fan base, the match became heated – with plenty of trash talk, emotions, and some tense situations.

After winning the ball in the 24th minute, Magufana launched a lightning-fast counterattack. Fortuna broke through on the left and slotted the ball precisely into the far corner – now just 3-1.

In the 36th minute came the next setback for Spandau: Nemitanu dribbled past three defenders and beautifully curled the ball into the corner with the outside of his foot – 3-2.

Then, just one minute before the final whistle, the equalizer actually came: Once again, it was Fortuna who scored his second goal to make it 3-3 – and suddenly, everything was wide open again.

Since the SOCCA Champions League goes straight to a penalty shootout in the event of a draw, it was clear: Now, nerves alone would decide.

In the penalty shootout, the taker runs from the halfway line towards the goalkeeper and tries to beat him with a shot or a dribble.

Telli stepped up first for Spandau, having already rounded the keeper, but then tried to finish too casually, allowing the goalkeeper to recover. But Magufana also missed their first attempt.

Then Weggen stepped up and confidently made it 1-0, but the Greeks immediately responded – 1-1.

Both teams missed their third attempts, before Haitz took responsibility: he coolly slotted the ball into the bottom right corner – 2-1 Spandau.

Magufana took their last penalty, dribbled from the halfway line, took the shot – and hit only the post!

Huge celebrations for Spandau: In a real thriller, they advance to the quarterfinals.

A real test – and perhaps exactly what Spandau needed at this stage of the tournament. After their confident performances in the group stage, this round of 16 thriller was an important wake-up call and a game that brought the team even closer together.

There’s not much time to catch their breath: The quarterfinals kick off tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. The opponent will be determined later this evening.

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