ELF final: Rhein Fire defeats Vienna Vikings spectacularly in Gelsenkirchen

Rhein Fire knocks out the Vikings
Dream trip ended in disaster in Gelsenkirchen

By Tobias Nordmann, Gelsenkirchen
23.09.2024, 06:13

Rhein Fire is once again champion of the European League of Football and is the first team to win two titles since the league was founded four years ago. In the final in front of a record crowd of 41,364 spectators in Gelsenkirchen, the Düsseldorf team clearly beat the Vienna Vikings.

The city of Gelsenkirchen has experienced a lot this summer. The reputation of the old industrial metropolis changed between being mocked as a “shithole” and being called a dazzling “Swiftkirchen”. Angry England fans first took apart the architectural beauty and then the public transport. A few weeks later, the pop titan added a little of her shine to the dreary grey of the city. The European Football Championship was a guest and Taylor Swift. Gelsenkirchen was suddenly in the headlines, a hotspot. And of course, there is also FC Schalke 04, which is always good for headlines. This weekend, the team first embarrassed itself against Darmstadt 98, squandering a 3-0 lead and then losing 3-5. The next day, coach Karel Geraerts and sports director Marc Wilmots were fired. All of this condensed into one place in Gelsenkirchen: the arena in Erle.

Can’t you get any better? And yet. This Sunday was once again historic and painful. The European League of Football was visiting and played its final in Gelsenkirchen. Rhein Fire from Düsseldorf and the Vienna Vikings face each other. The two heavyweights in European football. Rhein Fire, the defending champions, were eliminated in this final with only one defeat this season. The Vikings, champions of 2022, even managed the perfect trip. They had eliminated every opponent in their path. There couldn’t be a greater showdown.

But we didn’t know what was going on in the arena that Sunday – after all, Schalke had already played – and they were at a loss. Like a long line of pensioners on their e-bikes, roaring along in the shadow of the stadium. Flanked by the thumping beats of the Power Party, which sounded more like a techno festival than a sporting final. And then there were all the colorful jerseys. “What are they doing here?” asked one of the e-bike gang. Normally, things are clear in this place. People in mostly blue jerseys, including Schalke fans, meet up with their opponents. They can also usually be clearly identified by their clothing. But it was different at the ELF final. Because this final was not just a duel between Fire and Vikings, but a celebration for football fans in Germany.

Growing in the shadow of the NFL hype

The NFL, the biggest and most spectacular league in the world (live every week on RTL and RTL+)has been experiencing a huge hype for a few years now. While it used to be just the Super Bowl that generated more interest in this country, the season has now become a topic of conversation far beyond the niche. Patrick Esume, RTL expert and commissioner, and also league head, of the ELF said a few weeks ago: “After football, there has never been such a Cinderella story in the Federal Republic as football in the sporting landscape.”

He, and the ELF, which started four years ago, will benefit from this hype. A bit of tailgating here, a bit of power party there. A fiery entrance by the teams, pyrotechnics and fire fountains included. Gelsenkirchen, the football city, has been conquered a little bit by football. It will be with the ELF. 41,364 people were in the arena on Sunday to watch the final. A sport that is not yet at the level of the NFL, but is getting closer and closer. “Coach” Esume recently described it like this: “It already looks like it in some parts, just at a slower pace.” The final was now able to carry the coach on, at least in part. The Vikings got off to a furious start and were quickly ahead 6:0. Quarterback Ben Holmes had a good idea in every attack and found Reece Jones at the end. The Vikings missed the extra point.

Fire responded, but with a lot of effort. For several minutes, Jadrian Clark and his men worked their way towards the end zone. The game was incredibly hectic. A flag flew onto the field for almost every action, meaning that penalties rained down non-stop. Video evidence was used. At one point, Malte Scholz, the head referee, watched a fumble for minutes. It was tough, and took all the momentum out of the game. It suddenly looked like an evening-long program. The stadium announcer tried to keep the mood up, the DJ played an absurdly wild mix of styles. There was a completely over-the-top techno version of Pur’s “Abenteuerland” and Oomph! called out to the crowd: “Open your eyes, I’m coming.” Haven’t heard anything like that for a long time.

Pajarinen becomes a tragic figure

Rhein Fire was not impressed. Clark found season MVP Glen Toonga and he scored the first touchdown. The band blasted the Scooters legend song “Fire”. Not for the last time that afternoon, which suddenly became so incredibly one-sided. Rhein was on fire and the Vikings were completely off track. The tragic figure was the Finn Karri Pajarinen. The running back is one of Holmes’ preferred options in the attacking game. And he showed why that is. He took a pass and started an outstanding run, but in the end Flamur Simon knocked the ball out of his hand. Feuerkrieg had possession of the ball and flew away.

In the Vikings’ next drive, Pajarinen lost the ball again, and Omari Williams headed it out of the Finn’s hand during a tackle. He then had to be consoled by his teammates and watch as the team from Düsseldorf won the second quarter 23:7. As a kick in the butt, the Vikings were given Rhein Fire’s last drive to take back to the locker room. Clark threw a sensational 44-yard pass to the outstanding and unstoppable wide receiver Kelvin McKnight. The Vikings never recovered from that. It even got worse. Quarterback Holmes, the best of the season, found almost no passing options and was knocked over several times by Fire’s giants. NFL coach Jim Tomsula, a defensive giant, had given Fire the perfect plan and later thanked almost everyone in the stadium on an emotional lap of honor. The Rhein-Fire fans were in a great mood and were clearly in the majority, which was of course also due to the geographical proximity.

Balm after a difficult season

The ELF was given a big, atmospheric, if not exciting finale at the end of a difficult season. The road to professionalizing the sport in Europe is a slog. The average attendance of some franchises was unsatisfactory, but the league is still focusing on expansion. On the sidelines of the championship game, it was announced that Nordic Storm would be joining the league next season. The Barcelona Dragons, the ELF’s biggest problem child, also remain in the league. The team from the Catalan metropolis did not continue the first leg against the Munich Ravens when the score was 0:54 and lost the second leg 0:90. “That disappoints us,” said Esume.

There was no sign of this disappointment on Sunday. 20,000 fans at the Power Party, plus party guest Andre Schnurra, who became a saxophone sensation during the European Football Championship, and the absolute record crowd at Schalke. Esume said: “When you see this here, you know what you’re doing it for.” The city of Gelsenkirchen is no longer a shithole, no longer Swiftkirchen, but football town. What a summer.