Mr Mattuschka, this Wednesday (8:45 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the DFB Cup, on ARD and on Sky), Union is the favorite in the round of 16 of the DFB Cup at Hertha BSC.

Do you pinch yourself hearing that?

That is not right.

There are no favorites in the derby, and certainly not in the city derby.

Except maybe when Bayern play against 1860.

Sure, when you look at the table you might get the impression that we have the advantage, but that doesn't mean anything.

Are we the favourite?

No.

Do we have a good chance of walking away as winners?

Yes.

Eleven years ago it was different.

At the first official city derby after reunification, Union was seen as a clear outsider.

That was a completely different constellation and can no longer be compared with today.

Hertha had just come down, the descent was considered an industrial accident.

They were able to keep their team together for the most part, it was clearly a Bundesliga squad.

We, on the other hand, were satisfied if we didn't run the risk of relegation.

Two worlds collided back then.

Financially and athletically.

And then the small Union won in front of 76,000 spectators in the sold-out Olympic Stadium.

Their goal to make it 2-1 is still the stuff of legends to this day.

Was it the most important goal of your career?

The goal is certainly at the top in terms of importance, but rather at the bottom in terms of beauty.

I mean, there was a lot of luck involved.

First I didn't hit the ball properly, then the wall opened up and in the end the goalkeeper made a mistake.

So much good is seldom together.

What went through your mind when the ball was suddenly in the goal?

The week before, I had been thinking what it would be like to score a free-kick goal.

After practice I would still get a few balls on goal and then imagine what it was like to run into the crowded corner and celebrate in front of our fans.

When the time actually came, I didn't know what to do anymore.

Then I just started running, into the red wall, like in a trance.

That was pure ecstasy.

With what attitude did you and your teammates go to the Olympic Stadium?

We've been looking forward to it all week.

Most of us had never played in front of a crowd like this, it was something very special.

Everything was bigger in the Olympic Stadium, which also embodied the dimensions in which the clubs were moving at that time.

We were the small Union and they were the big Hertha.

How else was that recognizable?

After the game we all lay in the relaxation pool and spontaneously started a party.

We ordered four or five crates of beer and taught them in the water.

The relaxation pool was the size of a pool.

We didn't even have one at Union.

It was just a completely different world.

Is that why the win felt all the better?

Sure, we could then have a big snout, along the lines of 'We're mayors.'

The truth is that we ended up just a little bit luckier.

How was the atmosphere on the pitch?