1. FC Union Berlin went down 1-2 at Eintracht Frankfurt following a 95th-minute winning goal from Evan N'Dicka.
The defender headed in at the death in stoppage time to secure a 2-1 win for Oliver Glasner's team after Max Kruse had levelled the scores after 62 minutes. Kruse's penalty was against the run of play but gave Union a chance of taking points on the road having gone behind to Djibril Sow's first-half effort.
Bastian Oczipka was restored to the starting XI after Thursday's exploits in Haifa, facing the club he made 167 appearances for in Frankfurt. Union looked to have the upper-hand on the away side with Taiwo Awoniyi running in behind the three-man Frankfurt defence but eventually outnumbered as he looked to pull the trigger inside the box. Oliver Glasner's side had the ball in the net after six minutes when Rafael Borre fired home but referee Sascha Stegemann flagged correctly for offside. The home side headed into this game with a strong run of domestic form and consolidation of their top-spot in the Europa League group stage with a 2-2 draw at home to Antwerp. They had their tails up from the start and broke the Union resolve after 22 minutes. Djibril Sow steered a long-range shot from 25 yards into the top corner to put Frankfurt in the lead. Awoniyi tested Kevin Trapp two minutes later but it was a short glimpse for Urs Fischer's men. Frankfurt looked in the mood and will feel they could have extended their advantage for the break. Daichi Yamada headed off the crossbar on 24 minutes and Kristijan Jakic headed wide from a corner kick before the half hour was out. Frankfurt's main man Filip Kostic drove the home side forward on 35 minutes but the Köpenick club held firm until the turnaround.
Frankfurt's high-tempo style continued into the second 45 minutes with Jesper Lindstrom passing up a golden chance for a goal after the restart. Thursday's hero Julian Ryerson was introduced into the midfield, while Sheraldo Becker supported Awoniyi in the front two. The intensity returned to Union's transitions and pressing, and the away side enjoyed their best part of the game. Despite the performance of the home side, Awoniyi was fouled on 61 minutes and Union earned a penalty kick. Max Kruse made no mistake from 12 yards and brought Union on level terms. After his previous run of last-minute goals, the last player Union wanted to see after 67 minutes was Eintracht Frankfurt striker Goncalo Paciencia. Frankfurt turned more direct and put the Union defence under immense pressure. Andreas Luthe pushed a shot clear from midfielder Jakic on 70 minutes as Union struggled to make things stick at the other end. Union turned to the bench for some energy – Levin Öztunali and Andreas Voglsammer came in for Awoniyi and Kruse. Voglsammer has been unfortunate in previous league games not to score and Kevin Trapp made a strong save against the Union number 9. Paciencia was marked closely by Marvin Friedrich and the two clashed inside the box with about a quarter of an hour to go. Friedrich stood his ground to defend the Frankfurt striker but there were strong claims from the home fans for a penalty kick. Substitute Ache crossed for Paciencia in the 90th minute but the finish was over Luthe's bar. In the end, Frankfurt's fresh legs would pay dividends at the Deutsche Bank Park as Union were unable to get the result over the line. A deep cross from Filip Kostic in the fifth minute of stoppage time was headed into the net by N'Dicka, which wrapped up the points for Glasner and Frankfurt.
Union look to build on derby win in Bundesliga
Match preview
1. FC Union Berlin are in Frankfurt this Sunday (15:30 CET) as Urs Fischer's side look to build on a positive week of results following a derby win and three points in Haifa.+
Review – The last match:
Union secured a vital three points in Haifa on Thursday night to book a winner-takes-all battle with Slavia Prague on the final matchday of Group E in the UEFA Europa Conference League. A strong, composed Union performance in Israel was capped off by Julian Ryerson's header on 66 minutes to clinch the points and give the Bundesliga side a chance of qualification for the knockout rounds.
In the Bundesliga, Union ran out 2-0 winners against local rivals Hertha at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei last Saturday. Taiwo Awoniyi and Christopher Trimmel fired goals in against the Old Lady to make it an unbeaten run of three in derby matches at the Alte Försterei.
Frankfurt – The opposition report:
Oliver Glasner's Eintracht Frankfurt are competing across the Bundesliga and UEFA Europa League themselves in the 2021/22 campaign. After a wobbly start for the Eagles under new management, they have stabilised in recent weeks and enjoyed a good run of results. Frankfurt have given themselves some leeway in the Bundesliga above the relegation zone, moving up to 11th with a 2-0 win at high-flying SC Freiburg. On Thursday, Frankfurt were held by Belgians Royal Antwerp but are still to make qualification to the last 16 set before the final matchday.
Frankfurt – The coach's view:
"For me, Frankfurt is very compact and also aggressive in Zone 2," described Urs Fischer. "I like their transitions, have very clear targets and speed. They have quick creative players like Filip Kostic who we can't take our eye off in the 90 minutes. Frankfurt are doing well at the moment and it will be a hard challenge."
Personnel:
Julian Ryerson was taken off on Thursday in Haifa with an injury, but has recovered and is on a good way according to coach Fischer. There are no other major injury problems concerning the 21-man group in Frankfurt.
Service:
There will 750 away supporters at the Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt. There is no opportunity to buy tickets on matchday at the stadium. Inside the stadium, 10% of attendees can bring a negative PCR-test. All other fans must follow 2G rules and show relevant documentation. A medical mask is required at all times.
