The 2022-23 Bundesliga season ended in a very dramatic way. Heidenheim, who was once 2-0 down, scored two goals in stoppage time to defeat Regensburg 3-2 and send their opponents to relegation while winning the title by a narrow margin. The team, which started in the amateur league, will be another new team in the Bundesliga, coming from a small town of only 50,000 people, but on this night, they became the protagonists of miracles.
Extra long stoppage time, a miracle kill
In the final round of the Bundesliga, Heidenheim got Dortmund's most wanted script. Before the match, they were three points behind Darmstadt, and although they locked in the top three, they did not confirm promotion. Facing second-to-last Regensburg, Heidenheim, who had played well all season, trailed by two goals in the second half, and according to the live scoreline, they will drop to third place for the promotion play-offs. In the 58th minute, Heidenheim recovered a point thanks to an own goal.
It wasn't until the third minute of stoppage time that Best equalised on penalties for Heidenheim, but it wasn't enough. In this match, with more than 10 minutes of stoppage time, Heidenheim scored a rebound goal in the 99th minute to secure a Bundesliga spot, while also beating Darmstadt, who had the same points on goal difference, to win the league title.
A day earlier, in the final round of the Bundesliga, title contenders Borussia Dortmund, also trailing 2-0, equalised in stoppage-time like Heidenheim, however, they failed to score their crucial third goal. And Heidenheim's final kill, which led to his own league championship, also squeezed Hamburg, which was already celebrating, to third place. The difference between the two promoted teams in the Bundesliga and the third place Hamburg is only one point, which shows the miserable nature of this season.
A small city with a population of 50,000, it has been rapidly upgraded in 20 years
It was the first time in Heidenheim's history that he played in the Bundesliga. Heidenheim, where the team is located, is a small town in southern Germany that is a sister city with Qianjiang City, Hubei Province. According to 2021 statistics, the population here is 49,129, less than 50,000, and the team's home stadium, Voith Arena, can accommodate 15,000 spectators, which means that the stadium can accommodate nearly one-third of the local population.
The history of FC Heidenheim dates back to 1846 and they were part of a multi-sport club, but the football team was not founded until 1910. Since then, the Heidenheim club has undergone a number of changes, most recently in 2007, when they were separated from their parent company and became more professional in response to the demands of the DFB.
Heidenheim's upgrade process is also super-fast. In 2004, the team was promoted to the Baden-Württemberg State League, then Germany's fourth division. In 2009, Heidenheim was promoted to the Bundesliga and won the league title in 2013–14 and was promoted to the Bundesliga. Since then, Heidenheim has remained competitive, reaching the promotion play-offs at one point in the 2019-20 season, but failed to beat Werder Bremen due to the disadvantage in away goals.
Until this season, Heidenheim, who won three of the first four rounds, showed full competitiveness, and in the closing stage, the team was more in-form, at one point keeping four consecutive clean sheets, with a record of three wins and one draw. With his outstanding performance, Heidenheim left competitors such as Dusseldorf, St. Pauli and Paderburn behind, and staged a miraculous comeback in the final round to successfully reach the top.
From the fifth division to the Bundesliga, Heidenheim took 20 years. Ten years ago, they played in the Bundesliga, and next season, the city of 50,000 people will welcome the visit of big teams such as Bayern and Borussia Dortmund. Heidenheim's achievements are undoubtedly commendable.
Meritorious manager, more than 20 years of service
Heidenheim head coach Frank Schmidt interpreted the meaning of "one man, one city" with his own actions. The Heidenheim native made his debut at Nuremberg as a player and represented Germany at the Under-20 World Cup in 1993, coming on as a substitute for former Shanghai Shenhua foreign player Jankel. In 2003, at the end of his career, Schmidt joined Heidenheim, retired after four years with the team, and took over the coaching whip shortly after his retirement.
At that time, it coincided with the reorganization of Heidenheim and Schmidt was in the 5th division when Schmidt joined as a player, while he was in the 4th division when he was the head coach. From 2007 to the present, Schmidt has been the head coach of Heidenheim, plus 4 years as a player, he has been playing for his hometown team for 20 years, leading the team all the way from the fifth division, first to the Bundesliga and then to the Bundesliga. Schmidt, who has been in charge of the team for 16 years, is undoubtedly a legend of Heidenheim, and the team's achievements today can be said to be built by him.
Next season, Heidenheim, who is promoted to the Bundesliga for the first time, will undoubtedly receive more attention. Pasterborn, who was similar to Heidenheim, once led the table after being promoted to the Bundesliga for the first time in the 2014-15 season, but ended up at the bottom, completing the "round round" of the Bundesliga, and relegated two levels in a row, once falling to 18th place in the Bundesliga, which is shocking. What kind of performance can Heidenheim, who is also a new Bundesliga team, bring to the top league stage? For them, the difficult challenge has only just begun.
(Supine Push-ups/Powerful Miracles)