2nd Bundesliga | Hertha BSC is celebrating a Berlin party on the Betzenberg

Outstanding assist provider and double goalscorer: Pedersen and Grönning celebrate a Berlin party in Kaiserslautern. Photo: imago/Bennet Long In the stadium high above Kaiserslautern there was a unique event to marvel at on Saturday: there was dead silence for a few seconds in the otherwise noisy home of the local second division team. Striker Sebastian Grönning had just scored his first of two goals in the 17th minute of Hertha BSC's 3-0 win.

The upset of the Lauterer supporters didn't really dissipate that afternoon; the home fans couldn't really come to terms with what was happening on the pitch in the top game of the 2nd Bundesliga. The FCK also had bright moments. But compared to the light-footed Berliners who were confident in their combinations, his offensive actions seemed downright wooden.

The rising volume after half an hour of play quickly subsided again when midfielder Mario Sauer overlooked two better-positioned Lauterer teammates and bored rather than tested the Berlin goalkeeper Marius Gersbeck with his weak finish.

The game on the Betzenberg began quite atmospherically: the home area showed a choreography in honor of Fritz Walter, who would have been 106 years old this Saturday. Meanwhile, hundreds of supporters of the friendly Karlsruher SC had gathered in the block of Berlin fans, who in turn are enemies of the hosts' supporters - which is why a cheerful whistling concert from both camps filled the stadium before the game.

However, it is not worth mentioning that the game between two clubs that last played in the first division in 2012 (1. FC Kaiserslautern) and 2023 (Hertha BSC) was sold out with 49,327 spectators. 30,000 fans would also come to the Betzenberg if it were against the stadium's own security.

Seven minutes after the break, Hertha showed why they currently seem almost invincible. After a quick combination in midfield, Mads Pedersen crossed so precisely that Grönning was able to easily net for the second time. After an hour the game was finally decided when Oluwaseun Adewumi headed the 3-0 for Berlin into the Lauterer goal - once again the famous Pedersen had crossed.

It was party time in the guest curve. Despite the completely convincing victory, many people still found it difficult to believe what was happening at their club. Due to financial necessity, they sold almost all top performers from Kennet Eichhorn to Fabian Reese to Michaël Cuisance - and after ten games they are at the top of the table with a sensational nine points lead.

The Hertha team also showed why this is the case against the fourth-place team in the table. Josip Brekalo, for example, who was in Reese's shadow last season, has really blossomed, while left-back Pedersen once again raised the question of what motivated FC Augsburg to let him go. Modernizations are now also possible in the system following the departure of some not-so-nimble veterans like Toni Leistner. The defense moves higher than in previous years, and this obviously benefits from switching play and compactness.

For large parts of the Hertha team, the working day was far from over at 2:57 p.m. For many of them, they continued on to Karlsruhe, where the KSC received 1. FC Heidenheim for the evening game of the 2nd Bundesliga. And since two games in one weekend are obviously not enough, the goal of many people from Karlsruhe and Berlin on Sunday was on the other side of the Rhine: the home game of Racing Strasbourg, the third club in the Prussian-Baden-Alsatian harmony triangle.

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