Sensational Champions League victory for the 1st FC Saarbrücken table tennis team
1. FC Saarbrücken Tischtennis won the men’s Champions League title for the first time in the club’s history. The Saarland team won the regular second leg of the all-German final of the European Table Tennis Champions League 3-2 in a dramatic thriller in Düsseldorf late on Monday evening and also won the decisive golden match 2-1.
In the second Champions League final in the club’s history, long-time rivals and six-time title holders Borussia Düsseldorf were defeated after two thrilling encounters in the final and the golden match, a first in a Champions League final.
In doing so, the FCS also took revenge for the loss in the 2021 final against the team of the record winner from Düsseldorf.
The initial situation for the team from Saarbrücken was pretty bad and the chances rather slim after the narrow home defeat in the first leg. In front of an exhilarating home crowd in the sold-out Joachim-Deckarm-Halle in Saarbrücken with 1600 spectators, the professionals led by captain Patrick Franziska had lost the first game last week by an unfortunate 2-3 score.
But the tables were turned in the return match on Monday evening. With great confidence and a strong team morale, Darko Jorgic, Takuya Jin and Patrick Franziska fought their way to 3-2 and thus levelled the first leg result. The final decision therefore had to be made in three sets in the ‘golden match’ format, comparable to a penalty shoot-out in football.
Shortly before midnight, after a thriller and four and a half hours of play, the time had finally come. Darko Jorgic won the decisive last set 2-1 and created great jubilation in the Saarbrücken camp. For the FCS TT it is the first Champions League title in the club’s history.
A title for the history books. And the pride of an entire region. After the German championship and the cup, the 1. FC Saarbrücken Tischtennis team was still missing the Champions League trophy in its collection. So here it is.
Congratulations to 1. FC Saarbrücken Tischtennis on winning the 2022/23 Champions League. You can be proud of yourselves. We are.