The first cheers erupted on the small pitch behind the TSV Achim clubhouse long before kick-off on Wednesday.
Forty-five minutes before the start of the Germany's World Cup match against Ecuador, ARD switched its broadcast from East Rutherford in New York - 6,000 kilometres away - to the small town of Achim, near Bremen.
That's where World Cup star Deniz Undav grew up and first kicked a ball for his local club.
About 300 people - some wearing Germany jerseys with Undav's name and number - had gathered on a field behind the TSV Achim clubhouse to see their Deniz.
And right in the middle of it all was Edeltraut Koch: the 67-year-old was Undav's first coach when the player was about five years old.
"He was incredibly quiet and reserved. But on the field, he was a different person," she said.
"Turn around, score a goal, and that's it. He was like that even as a kid."
Koch said that Undav knew right from the start who to pass to and where his runs should take him.
"I thought, 'Who is this guy? Was he already in the Bundesliga as a kid?'" she said.
Aykut Kaldiric has known Undav, now 29, since he was a child. The skills that the VfB Stuttgart forward possesses, were "learned on the streets," said the coach of Achim's first men's team.
"He's just ahead of the curve in so many ways," he added.
The first chants of "Deniz Undav" started in Achim in the 58th minute of Germany's match against Ecuador. Two minutes later, Undav came on.
Undav scored a goal in the 7-1 thrashing of Curaçao and a double to secure a 2-1 win over Ivory Coast. Against Ecuador, however, he didn't find the net and Germany went on to lose 2-1.
Undav and Germany have booked their spot in the round of 32 as Group E winners. They are back in action on Monday with the opponent yet to be decided.
