Florian Hübner scored his first goal for 1. FC Union Berlin in stoppage time to secure a point for Urs Fischer's men in a 2-2 draw with MSV Duisburg at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei.
Hübner's goal came in the first minute of added time after a strong fightback from Duisburg to go 2-1 ahead through goals from Oliveira Silva and Richard Sukuta Pasu. Akaki Gogia had opened the scoring for the Köpenick club shortly before half time.
Fischer emphasised before tonight’s game that the Zebras weren’t in their earned position after four games in the second division. The away side’s stuffy nature was clear to see with some aggressive defending in both boxes. Felix Kroos was presented with two chances at the edge of the box inside 60 seconds, but Sebastian Neumann blocked his second attempt. On 26 minutes, Gogia went at left-back Kevin Wolze for the first time and immediately found some joy, coming on to his left foot and with the aid of a deflection, striking the crossbar. Nine minutes later, Wolze was cautioned for bringing down the Union winger on the edge of the box. The next time, however, Gogia got the better of the Duisburg captain, cutting inside on to his left foot and firing past Mesenhöler to give Fischer’s men a half-time lead.
The second half became a more stretched contest with Duisburg pushing for the equaliser and Union looking to counterattack with speed and purpose. Christopher Trimmel roamed into a great position just before the hour mark but slipped at the vital moment. The home side failed to put the game to bed before the final quarter of an hour and the Zebras took advantage. Oliveira Silva headed past Rafal Gikiewicz following a defensive mix up on 77 minutes, before substitute Sukuta Pasu put the visitors ahead four minutes later.
However, despite staring defeat in the face for the first time, and dealing with some over-aggressive play from Duisburg, Fischer's side showed great character to come back. A long ball from Gikiewicz was met bravely by Hübner in the opposition box and the ball landed in the bottom corner of the net. Union pressed for the winner, but were unable to turn one point into three. But the Köpenick club remains unbeaten in all competitions this season and continue the campaign next Sunday away to Arminia Bielefeld.
MSV Duisburg visit Union Berlin on Friday
Match preview
1. FC Union Berlin will welcome MSV Duisburg to the Stadion An der Alten Försterei for matchday five in the 2018/19 2.Bundesliga campaign on Friday September 14, with an 18:30 kick-off in Köpenick.
No goals, no points — A difficult start:
Ilia Gruev’s team languish at the foot of the table after four matches, having not even been able to find the back of the net. In their last match before the international break, Duisburg went down to a 1-0 defeat against Greuther Fürth on home soil. Gruev’s team did manage to progress, however, in the DFB Pokal, beating TuS Dassendorf from the regional fifth-tier in Hamburg.
While the form table would point to a clear win for Union, head coach Urs Fischer has warned against any form of complacency. “If we don’t show the necessary respect for this match and the opponent, then we’ll be in for a nasty surprise. We saw it in Sandhausen, where for many people, everything but a win felt like a defeat,” noted the 52-year-old coach at the pre-match press conference. The Berliners are undefeated in all competitions this season and enter the fifth matchday in third place.
Strong record vs. MSV:
Union and Duisburg have gone head-to-head 20 times in competitive matches — 18 second division encounters and two clashes in the German Cup. In the league, the Köpenick club have won seven, drawn six and lost five times to MSV, who were a founding member of the Bundesliga in 1963. The last home loss to the Zebras was eight years ago, with the sides drawing on both occasions in the 17/18 league campaign.
There will be a reunion with two familiar faces in the Duisburg squad, with Sven Beuckert and Daniel Mesenhöler returning to the Alte Försterei. Former goalkeeper Beuckert played almost 100 times for Union between 2000 and 2003 and is most remembered for his stand-out performances in Union’s run to the German Cup final in 2001. Beuckert, now a goalkeeper coach, delivered a memorable performance in the semi-final against Borussia Mönchengladbach, saving two spot kicks in the shootout and sending the Köpenick to the final.
Meanwhile, 23-year-old Mesenhöler is back in the capital following his move to Duisburg in the summer. The German U20 international, who made 14 league appearances for Union last season, has yet to make his debut for Gruev’s side.
Matchday information and tickets:
Fans who wish to purchase tickets on matchday can do so at the box office areas at the home end of the Stadion An der Alten Försterei. There are still plenty available for different sections of the stadium. +
Important: Due to the ongoing renovation work of the main stand, there will be changes and restrictions on matchday.
You can follow updates of the match from our English-language Twitter account here.
You can find the updated entrance plan here for VIP areas.
