Fulham 1 - 3 Arsenal [Irish Harp, Berlin]

Berlin Gooners outside the Irish Harp

Well London might have been completely blanketed in the wet stuff on Saturday but Berlin was bright and sunny, or at least it was outside The Irish Harp in Charlottenburg. I had the good fortune of watching the game with the Berlin Gooners, part of the official Arsenal Germany Supporters Club. 

The turnout wasn't as large as Prague but we still had a good time. Obviously there was the added bonus of Lukas Podolski netting a brace of goals, which was promptly followed by the Berlin Gooners chanting "Lu Lu Lu! Lukas Podolski". We take 3 points back home, and hopefully we can also take some serious momentum from the 2nd Fenerbahce qualifier into the North London Derby next Sunday. Will Bale be a Real Madrid player by then? Will Arsenal have spent any money in the transfer window? Who knows...

I'm pleased to say that I wasn't dragged out for the long hours like I was in Prague after the win against Fenerbahce, so I'm feeling less lethargic. But that doesn't mean to say Berlin is a safe haven for people wanting to keep their liver intact, as the beer selection is fantastic here, and as with anywhere else in Germany, the good stuff is part of the culture.

Great atmosphere at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin

After watching Arsenal I headed out to the OlympiaStadion with a few Gooners to watch Hertha Berlin vs Hamburg. The atmosphere was unbelievable, and there was also the bonus of Hertha scoring the winning goal (if there was a roof it would have been blown off). When you consider that Hertha came up from the 2nd division of German football last season, it wasn't a bad result at all. The home fans were obviously very happy.

So for me, the next stop is Copenhagen to watch the 2nd leg of the Champions League qualifier against Fenerbahce but before I do that, there will be a feature on my host here in Berlin.

COYG