Hmm... Perhaps I should miss watching Arminia matches more often?

Of course, from the looks of the first half, it seems Arminia did not show up either... but then again, neither did Nürnberg apart from a short stretch in the first ten minutes when der Club (*chortle*) fired off four shots, including a header by Andreas Wolf that hit the post. Nürnberg controlled possession for most of the half after that, but didn't bother taking a shot until the 43rd minute, when Wolf got Nürnberg on the board with another header from a corner.

I don't know what Middendorp told the players at halftime, but it definitely worked, as Arminia came out with a renewed purpose, and Daniel Halfar let loose a volley that went wide in the 49th minute. Arminia drew level in the 63rd minute when Rüdiger Kauf scored on a header off of a corner. Arminia was in business after that (Don't look at me! The highlights from tonight's Deutsche Welle broadcast said so!), and Artur Wichniarek grabbed the lead in the 75th minute with a nice close-ranged shot off of a cross from substitute Sibusiso Zuma. It wasn't as though der Club laid down though, as Marek Mintal twice took advantage of gaffes in the 82nd and 83rd minutes, but lacked poise as he pushed both shots wide. Zuma nearly got a goal at the start of stoppage time from a good cross from Wichniarek, but as stoppage time was running out, he got his goal with a nice shot outside the box.

Getting the three points was a massive boost to the club, of course, but I was pleased with how the club seemed to have reacted in the 2nd half after going down 0-1. In previous matches they sort of buckled under pressure, but this time they held up, and fought back bravely. How much of that was attributed to Nürnberg's poor attack can be debated (Arminia put 4 more shots on goal than der Club), but you take what's in front of you. It was also great to see Wichniarek back on track after his injuries slowed him down the past couple of weeks, so a goal and an assist for him is great.

In the grander scheme of things the win in this "six point relegation battle!" (as one e-mailer quipped to me) was great for Arminia, as a Nürnberg win would have put Arminia in the relegation zone. However, the win puts Arminia six points clear of the drop zone, and more positively 6 points from an automatic UEFA Cup spot, but only four from an Intertoto Cup spot (given the DFB-Pokal winner is in the top 5). However there's six clubs ahead of them, so it's imperative that Arminia begin to pick up points in threes, especially against the clubs that are in front of them. Exactly one year ago today Arminia sat in 8th after defeating Eintracht Frankfurt 0-3. They wouldn't win another match until March in the dramatic win against...yes... der Club.

No matches next week because of the International Break, but not everyone will be taking it easy as at least three players have gotten call ups for international duty (all from South Africa) who will face the US on Saturday and Canada on 20 November. According to the South African FA's website, goalkeeper Rowen Fernandez, midfielder Siyabonga Nkosi, and forward Sibusiso Zuma get call ups for the US match, and Fernandez is on the roster for the Canada match. Of course, the US match has to take place in the morning here in the States, which means I won't catch the entire match (Charity work, why do you frustrate me so!), but the start time (8:00AM here) should mean that I'll get most of it. I'll let you folks know how they do, since it's entirely possible that all three will start for the Bafana Bafana.

One last thing: If you haven't already, take a minute to remember those who have served, as it is Veterans Day here in the US and Rememberance Day/Armistice Day in the rest of the world. It's the least we could do.

Catch you during the week for an Arminiageschichte as well as a special surprise!