First East German duel in the football final

Potsdam. The pitch in the Luftschiffhafen Stadium made it clear how intense the game was. During the playoff semi-final of the German Football League (GFL) between the Potsdam Royals and the New York Lions Braunschweig, some places were heavily turned over. “It was very, very hard for both the pitch and us. “We got both,” said Royals offensive man Ludwig Rötzscher. “In the end we are now happy that we were definitely victorious.”

The defending champion from Brandenburg won 25:6 (12:0, 0:0, 13:6, 0:0) against the national record champions from Lower Saxony on Saturday (September 28, 2024) and is thus in the final for the third time in a row German championship.

The opponent in the GFL Bowl on October 12, 2024 in the stadium on Hafenstrasse in Essen will be the Dresden Monarchs. The Saxons won their semi-final with 27:13 (10:7, 7:0, 10:0, 0:6) against the Hildesheim Invaders. Potsdam versus Dresden: This is a novelty – at the 45th national football final, which has become known as the German Bowl, two teams from East Germany will meet for the first time. The Monarchs have also been in the final twice so far, also with one win and one defeat.

The New York Lions Braunschweig challenge the Potsdam Royals

“It’s the final we deserve. “The two best teams of the season made it there,” said Royals President Jens Torsten Müller. Potsdam took first place in the northern relay, Dresden took second place – no team from the south made it to the semi-finals. The main round duel was decided by the “Royals” at home against the “Monarchs” with 40:19.

In the semi-finals, the Potsdam team were challenged more than ever before this season. “Braunschweig was well prepared, had a good plan and applied a lot of pressure,” said Rötzscher, paying respect to his opponent. “The two best defenses of this GFL year met each other – you could tell.” “We had to work hard for points,” argued Müller.

In front of 2,240 spectators in the airship port, Potsdam’s defense demonstrated more stability and the strong Royals offense around quarterback Jaylon Henderson demonstrated greater qualities. Although she wasn’t able to perform nearly as well as in most of the games so far this season. For example, after all four of their own touchdowns, Mal was unable to achieve a two-point increase, which had otherwise become the Potsdam standard.

MAZ