Lacklustre Union Berlin held to frustrating home draw
Match report
Union Berlin and Eintracht Braunschweig shared a point apiece at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei on Friday evening.
Braunschweig’s Christoffer Nyman cancelled out Simon Hedlund’s third goal in six league matches this season as the Köpenick club failed to win for the fourth game on the bounce.
Scheduled originally for 18:30 local time, kick-off was put back for a further 30 minutes due to traffic problems, which primarily affected the travelling supporters from Braunschweig. Enough had completed the journey without issues to create a passionate, raw atmosphere in the Stadion An der Alten Försterei.
But there wasn’t much fire on the pitch to match the display of Union fans in the Waldseite. Scoring chances were extremely limited for the entirety of the first 45 minutes. Jakob Busk, at the other end, was quiet with just a couple of tests from Louis Samson and Onel Hernandez to keep him on his toes.
The second half felt like another game completely with Union pressing, chasing and forcing Braunschweig into defensive mode. Akaki Gogia made an increasing impact on the game, while the returning Marcel Hartel was dangerous just off the frontline. After 52 minutes, Union pulled ahead with Sebastian Polter feeding Hedlund for a simple finish for the Swedish attacker.
Gogia missed the chance to double the lead, while Braunschweig keeper Jasmin Fejzic knocked Kreilach off his stride as the goal looked inevitable. However, the hosts were dealt an enormous setback as Salil Khelifi’s dribbled his way clear and set up an easy chance for Nyman who slid in to score in the 62nd minute.
Hartel, Gogia and Hedlund all contributed to further chances but Union lacked a little precision in the final third. Polter went down underneath a challenge, but referee Storks waved away claims for a penalty. Union’s central-striker was replaced by Steven Skrzybski, who was denied by a brilliant save from Fejzic in the 79th minute. Neither side, in the end, could bag the winner.
“We completely bossed the game from the 20th minute onwards and had good opportunities. We have superior numbers at the goal we conceded, so we can totally defend that better. Even though Braunschweig had a chance on the break, we continued to exert pressure and create opportunities. It wouldn’t have been undeserved had we gotten all three points,” said Keller after the match.
Another game without a win leaves a disappointing taste in the mouth, but there is a chance to bounce back on Tuesday evening. Union will head to SV Sandhausen with kick-off at 18:30 at the BWT Stadion am Hardtwald.
Union aim to put first loss behind them when Braunschweig visit
Match preview
Five days after the defeat at Fortuna Düsseldorf, Union Berlin are back in action against credible promotion rivals.
Eintracht Braunschweig head to Köpenick on Friday 15 September (18:30) looking to make a stronger push for the Bundesliga than last season’s playoff loss to VfL Wolfsburg.
“We have directly addressed the things that clearly went wrong,” explained Union head coach Jens Keller at the pre-match press conference. “We have no doubt that we have the quality of football, but if we aren’t prepared to go full-throttle from the first whistle then it’s always going to be difficult. If we can rely on our quality, then we can beat anyone.”
Keller’s side went down 3-2 at the ESPRIT Arena last weekend, the winning goal coming from a handful of mistakes in the final minutes. After a record season in 2.Bundesliga last term, Keller was expecting an improved mentality within the squad for this season’s ambitions.
“I thought that we’d be a little further ahead mentally than last season. Especially since these were important games, while not K.O. matches, where the pressure is enormously high. Of course, you want to win every game and get the best out of it, but we can’t think that far ahead just now. Games aren’t decided in the mind, but in the heart. When things are easy for you to do without thinking, then you are good at what you do. We hope that the team will learn from past games and situations and implement what they have learned in the long term."
Things aren’t running too smoothly in Braunschweig, but Torsten Lieberknecht’s side have remained hard to beat. Eintracht beat Heidenheim early in the season – their only three points so far with the other matches ending in draws. “We would have all liked a home win. We haven’t lost a game yet, but have drawn too many games. Not it’s time to get three in Berlin,” the Eintracht coach said after last week’s draw at home to Sandhausen.
Kenny Redondo and Marc Torrejon are still the main absentees for Union Berlin, with Steven Skrzybski and Grischa Prömel shaking off niggles to be available. “We don’t need to develop a great deal further, but rather continue to bring what we’ve shown on the pitch,” added Keller.
Tickets are still available for visiting Braunschweig supporters, but can only be collected at the box office behind the away block.
