Union Berlin showed further comeback qualities after last week’s draw in Nürnberg – this time managing a 1-1 draw at home to Arminia Bielefeld.
In front of another sold-out Stadion An der Alten Försterei, Union responded to the extra support with a great start. Controlling the first 30 minutes, the home side created at least four chances to break the deadlock. Stefan Ortega was alert to Kristian Pedersen’s shot, while Felix Kroos and Simon Hedlund came close for the Köpenick side.
However, Arminia Bielefeld weren’t afraid to offer a warning shot before the half-time break. Konstantin Kerschbaumer’s shot cannoned against the woodwork and offered some hope to the travelling fans from Nordrhein-Westfalen. Hope was eventually converted into a lead just after the restart when Patrick Weihrauch set up Andreas Voglsammer who buried past Jakob Busk from inside the box.
In the other goal, Ortega was enjoying a fine afternoon. He blocked from Hedlund twice, Damir Kreilach and Sebastian Polter, but Union’s desire and energy was rewarded when Marcel Hartel slammed home from a ricochet in the 55th minute in front of the Waldseite.
Fabian Schönheim almost completed the turnaround on the hour mark, but missed from close range. Kreilach hit the crossbar in the 75th minute, while Ortega turned Hartel’s shot on to the post as the game entered the final 10 minutes. The two teams shared the points in the end, with the Berliners perhaps the most frustrated.
“Of course we’re a little bit disappointed with just a draw,” said Keller. “We have practically opened up the goal because of stupid positional errors. We came back well and got a deserved equaliser. Of course, the draw at home is annoying because we had enough chances to win the game.”
League football is put on the back burner due to the forthcoming European Qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup, but Union’s select team features in a testimonial for Torsten Mattuschka and Karim Benyamina. The next league match is a trip to Fortuna Düsseldorf on Sunday September 10, with a 13:30 kick-off at the ESPRIT Arena.
Pace-setters Arminia Bielefeld visit the Alte Försterei
Match preview
Union Berlin will welcome the league’s pace setters after three games, Arminia Bielefeld, to the Stadion An der Alten Försterei on Sunday 13:30.
For the fourth game of the league campaign, the ground is expected to be sold out in both the home section and the away block.
The only team yet to lose points so far, Bielefeld sit at the top of the table after three victories on the spin – this is the first time the club from the east corner of Nordrhein Westfalen have perched on the summit of the league table. Understandably, Jeff Saibene, the club’s coach since March, is full of confidence. “This game against Union comes at the perfect time. We now have a chance to show that we’re not up there by chance,” he noted.
Jens Keller’s team, on the other hand, saw their winning start end last week following a 2-2 draw at Nürnberg. The Union head coach was left frustrated at his side’s defending, which came a week after losing three goals at home to Holstein Kiel as a result of mistakes, according to Keller. But the signs are good: Union hasn’t lost any of its last seven games against Arminia Bielefeld. “They have momentum. But they also have the necessary luck. Nonetheless, they work for it. It’s a team that invests huge amounts in the game,” said coach Keller.
He continued: “Bielefeld has a run and we want to interrupt that. We want to act defensively better than against Kiel without losing any of our attacking qualities.”
Keller still has to do without Kenny Redondo, Steven Skrzybski, Toni Leistner and Dennis Daube. This week’s new addition from Schalke, Atsuto Uchida, could make his debut in Union colours on Sunday.
Gates for the Alte Försterei will be open on Sunday at 12:00, but there are no extra tickets available for home fans. There will be tickets available at the away box office for travelling Bielefeld supporters on Sunday.
