FC Bayern kicked off the new Bundesliga season with a decisive 5-1 victory over VfB Stuttgart. While the Munich team was making headlines on the field, a curious incident occurred off the field. Of all times, the power suddenly went out in the visitors’ locker room during halftime.
VfB coach Sebastian Hoeneß went public with the unusual glitch after the final whistle. In an interview with Sky, reporter Patrick Wasserziehr asked the Stuttgart coach about the incident.
“Is it true that there was a power outage in your locker room during halftime?” Wasserziehr asked. Hoeneß confirmed the incident.
When the Sky reporter then asked how the power outage had manifested itself, Hoeneß couldn’t resist a little joke.
“It wasn’t our lights that went out.”
“It’s not that there was no light left. The lights didn’t go out for us—there just wasn’t any light left in the locker room,” the VfB coach explained with a smile.
The unusual situation occurred, of all times, during the crucial halftime meeting. At that point, the match was still completely up for grabs. Bayern had taken the lead through Dayot Upamecano, but Stuttgart was holding its own.
A power outage in the locker room is, of course, anything but an everyday occurrence. According to Hoeneß, however, the glitch had no significant impact on his team’s preparation for the second half.
Wasserziehr therefore wanted to know how the Stuttgart players had handled the unusual situation.
“It was bright enough; we could see each other, and we didn’t trip over anything. So everything was fine,” Hoeneß replied.
Bayern stepped up their game after the break
On the field, however, things went much less well for Stuttgart afterward. After the break, the match increasingly became a one-sided affair in favor of the German record champions.
Vincent Kompany’s team picked up the pace and capitalized on their opportunities consistently. The final score was a decisive 5-1 victory, marking a perfect start to the new Bundesliga season.
Hoeneß was expressly reluctant to draw a connection between the power outage and his team’s subsequent collapse. The glitch thus remained merely a curious side note to the Bundesliga opener.
At any rate, it provided the VfB coach with the perfect setup for a witty remark after the lopsided loss. The lights had indeed gone out for Stuttgart at halftime—but only in the locker room.