1. FC Union Berlin delivered an outstanding performance to beat Hamburg 2-0 at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei.
Both goals came in the second half with Robert Zulj firing the home side ahead within the first minute of the restart. Grischa Prömel's brilliant solo-effort secured the points with six minutes to go and secure an important scalp for the Köpenick club.
The win ends a difficult run of five games in the 2.Bundesliga without a win.
1. FC Union Berlin: Gikiewicz; Trimmel, Parensen, Friedrich, Reichel; Schmiedebach, Prömel, Zulj, Ryerson (Kroos 77); Abdullahi (Polter 73), Andersson
Hamburg: Pollersbeck; Lacroix, Van Drongelen, Janjicic; Douglas Santos, Jung (Lasogga 57), Vagnoman (Hwang 45), Hunt; Narey, Jatta, Özcan (Wintzheimer 76)
Urs Fischer rang the changes to the side following last week’s 1-1 draw at Greuther Fürth. Florian Hübner was unable to shake off an injury this week and with Nicolai Rapp suspended, he was replaced by the experienced Michael Parensen in central defence. Elsewhere, Julian Ryerson was given a start in midfield, while Robert Zulj and Sebastian Andersson were handed starting places. Joshua Mees, Sebastian Polter and Felix Kroos dropped to the substitute’s bench.
Urs Fischer rang the changes to the side following last week’s 1-1 draw at Greuther Fürth. Florian Hübner was unable to shake off an injury this week and with Nicolai Rapp suspended, he was replaced by the experienced Michael Parensen in central defence. Elsewhere, Julian Ryerson was given a start in midfield, while Robert Zulj and Sebastian Andersson were handed starting places. Joshua Mees, Sebastian Polter and Felix Kroos dropped to the substitute’s bench.
Union brought intent and purpose on to the pitch from the first minute. Suleiman Abdullahi powered down the right-hand side and cut a fine cross into the area, but Andersson shot wide. Although Hannes Wolf’s side intended to build up from the back, Union had them penned in early doors. But the northern Germans came into the game, creating a chance of their own on 17 minutes. Aaron Hunt was presented with a one-v-one situation from the right-side, but Rafal Gikiewicz intervened. Union’s Polish keeper stepped to the fore again on the half hour mark, saving well from Bakary Jatta who had found his way into the penalty box.
Hamburg introduced Hee-chan Hwang at the break, but their game plan went out the window inside a minute. Abdullahi put pressure on Gideon Jung, picking his pocket in the process and setting up Zulj, who slotted home with composure from the edge of the penalty box. The tide turned for the Köpenick club as Union Berlin became extremely dominant from middle-to-front. Parensen was inches away from tapping home a knockdown from Andersson after 53 minutes. The Swede’s aerial ability opened up good situations on a number of occasions — and he was unlucky not to score with 20 minutes left. Zulj combined intelligently with Ken Reichel on the wing, the left-back driving the ball into the six-yard-box but Andersson’s slide was perhaps less than an inch away from making contact. Both Abdullahi and Ryerson were rewarded for their hard work throughout the match with a standing ovation from the home supporters. There’s not many ways that Union could have sealed the points in more emphatic fashion with six minutes left — Prömel carried the ball into space and his great strike cannoned off the post and went into the net, sparking incredible scenes across the three sides of the ground occupied by Union fans. Hamburg were little threat in the final stages of the half as Fischer's side managed the game expertly to a close.
Union's push to finish in the promotion places this season will continue at Darmstadt next Sunday afternoon, with kick-off at 13:30.
Union Berlin face crunch clash with Hamburg
Match preview
1. FC Union Berlin meet Hamburger Sport-Verein for the second time this season in the 2.Bundesliga, with the Stadion An der Alten Försterei sold out for Sunday’s big game.
Review: Stalemate in Fürth, Hamburg fall at semi-final stage
Union had Rafal Gikiewicz to thank for a stunning performance in Fürth, which kept hold of a point from a difficult away match last Saturday. Urs Fischer’s team are five games without a win going into the meeting with Hamburg after Marco Caligiuri’s equaliser cancelled out the opener from Joshua Mees. Both sides had a man sent off: Daniel Keita-Ruel for Fürth and Nicolai Rapp for the travelling Berliners. The last win for Union was a 2-0 triumph over Ingolstadt in Köpenick at the start of March.
Meanwhile, it was a momentous week for Hamburg, who featured in the DFB Pokal semi-finals against RB Leipzig. The northern Germans went down 3-1 on the night, but a spirited performance will have lifted their spirits. On Saturday, Manuel Wintzheimer scored for the second game running to re-claim a point from Erzgebirge Aue, who went into the lead at the Volksparkstadion after 43 minutes. It has been a rather sticky patch for Hannes Wolf’s team, with a solitary victory over Paderborn in a period of seven games — which included surprise home defeats to Magdeburg and Darmstadt.
Record: One competitive game
November’s 2-2 draw in Hamburg was the first competitive meeting between HSV and Union, in its current form. In 1923 & 1950, Hamburg beat SG Union Oberschöneweide in the German championship finals, with several officials defecting when Union travelled to Kiel and leaving the club altogether. This season, the club's record against higher-ranked teams has been strong: with draws in Dortmund, Köln and Hamburg, as well as, the 2-0 win over the Billy Goats in January.
When asked about the possible similarities between Sunday and the Köln win, Fischer answered: "Above all, we have to get the last five matches out of our heads and be ready for the new opportunity on Sunday. That's what it's all about. The Köln game is far away. What we have in mind at the moment are the last five games, so we have to cope with that. But our approach must be to get us back on track with a good result this weekend. First and foremost, it's about finally being able to deliver a good performance again."
Personnel: Hübner to miss out
Fischer confirmed that central defender Florian Hübner won’t be available for this weekend’s match. Nicolai Rapp, his replacement last week in Fürth, will start to serve his two-game suspension following a straight red card in that draw. Eroll Zejnullahu and Fabian Schönheim, both longer-term absentees, are not in contention to return to the team.
Service: No tickets left, travel tips
As has been the case for several weeks, Sunday's game is completely sold out and the stadium is at maximum capacity.
Please observe our travel information for the match with some disruptions expected to the public transport in Berlin. The stadium gates will be open at 11:30, earlier than usual.
The club has also installed bike racks and we would recommend leaving all cars at home given the limited parking spaces and instead travelling by bike.
