The second day of the preliminary round of the Mülheim Indoor City Championship held a surprise in store, as A-League side SC Croatia Mülheim survived the “Group of Death.”

On the second day of the preliminary round of the Mülheim Indoor City Championship, the curtain rose on Group C, which had been dubbed the “Group of Death” beforehand. Led by Landesliga side VfB Speldorf, Bezirksliga side 1. FC Mülheim-Styrum, and Mülheimer SV 07, there was little room for surprises on paper.

It was up to A-League side SC Croatia Mülheim and B-League side Sportfreunde Mülheim to provide them. Lo and behold, Croatia Mülheim actually managed to finish second in the group behind Speldorf. Thus, the team led by Coach Daniele Autieri lived up to the predictions that Croatia always has strong indoor soccer players in its ranks.

In the penultimate match of the day, Croatia prevailed in a head-to-head battle for advancement against Mülheimer SV 07. That was followed by wild celebrations. Autieri remained modest: “I think we did quite well, but we still have a lot we need to improve on. We finished second in the ‘group of death,’ and we’re a Kreisliga A team. Surely not everyone expected that. I can only compliment the guys.”

As Autieri went on to explain, his players took on the challenge of surviving what was likely the toughest group in the tournament. But they shouldn’t be too modest, because Croatia has shown through their four matches that they certainly have nothing to hide when it comes to their soccer skills.

Christmas is over; now there’s nothing left to wish for. First, we have to win the games. You can talk a lot beforehand, but what counts are the results.

Daniele Autieri

That’s another reason why the A-League team can certainly expect to do well in the final round on January 3. Above all, because according to the coach, several players were still missing whom the club couldn’t nominate due to vacation schedules.

The “minimum goal”—reaching the final round—has already been checked off the list. If it were up to BW-Mintard player Eren Güner, Mintard would face VfB Speldorf in the final. Autieri had clear words on the matter: “Christmas is over; now there’s nothing left to wish for (laughs). First, we have to win the games. You can talk a lot beforehand, but what counts are the results.”