1. FC Union Berlin suffered a league defeat for the first time this season after going down 3-0 at FC Erzgebirge Aue.
Pascal Testroet bagged a hat-trick for Daniel Meyer's team who ran out comfortable winners in the end after a solid first-half performance from Union.
It's the first defeat in 17 league games this campaign under Urs Fischer — and brings an end to an overall unbeaten run which stretches back into the 2017/18 season.
1. FC Union Berlin: Gikiewicz; Trimmel, Hübner, Friedrich, Reichel; Schmiedebach, Zulj (Kroos 60), Mees (Abdullahi 60), Hartel (Gogia 70); Andersson, Polter
Attendance: 13,800
Florian Hübner and Sebastian Andersson were restored to the starting eleven in Aue with Michael Parensen and Suleiman Abdullahi dropping out. The assault on the Aue goal started from the first whistle with the Köpenick club winning six corners inside 15 minutes. None were converted, and the home side punished Union for their slack finishing. Referee Sven Jablonski opted not to stop play after Christopher Trimmel was bundled to the ground. Emmanuel Iyoha proceeded to run the length of the pitch before setting up Testroet for an easy finish in the sixth minute. Martin Männel’s brave intervention at the feet of Andersson stopped the Swede from levelling the scores on 24 minutes. Jablonski awarded Aue a penalty kick on 30 minutes after the ball struck the arm of Joshua Mees inside the penalty box, with Testroet converting his second of the half. Fischer’s side were handed a mountain to climb, but continued to dominate and create the best opportunities before Jablonski called time on the first 45 minutes.
Around a minute after the restart, Calogero Rizzuto should have put Aue into a three-goal lead, but he was denied by an excellent save from Gikiewicz. Fischer turned to his substitutes on the hour mark with Felix Kroos and Suleiman Abdullahi taking the respective places of Robert Zulj and Joshua Mees. Männel’s outstanding save from Polter’s close-range strike kept the home side in front and a few minutes later, Testroet completed his hat trick with a well-taken bicycle kick. Männel blocked a powerful shot from Marvin Friedrich late in the game as Union were left nursing a first loss since last season.
Union prepare for final 2018 match in Aue
Match preview
1. FC Union Berlin’s final league game of the calendar year takes them to FC Erzgebirge Aue on Sunday December 23, with kick off at 13:30 local time.
Review: Unbeaten Hinrunde, Aue drop two-goal lead
1. FC Union Berlin beat VfL Bochum by two goals last week to mark an unbeaten first half of the season. With 17 without defeat, Union are one of just five second-tier teams to accomplish that feat. Urs Fischer’s men will be hoping to extend that run overall to 20 games ahead of the winter break. Union’s last win away from Köpenick was in October — a 2:1 win over Ingolstadt — with the Berliners showing great character to come through unscathed in Regensburg, Hamburg and Magdeburg.
Meanwhile, Daniel Meyer’s team — 12th in the league table — have seen steady improvements in the last month or so. German striker Pascal Testroet has scored five goals in his last four appearances for Aue. “In the last two games, Aue won 5-0 in Fürth, then they were 2-0 in the lead against Darmstadt. I watched this game as well and didn’t have the feeling that Darmstadt would come back again. But this is the league … it goes to the wire and you need to be ready for it,” said Fischer at the pre-match press conference.
Record: Union strong away in Aue
Union hold the upper hand in matches at the Erzgebirgestadion, which recently underwent reconstruction. Last season, the Berliners went to Aue and picked up a 2-1 win with goals from Sebastian Polter and Marcel Hartel — part of a three-game winning run at Aue’s home ground. Erzgebirge have never lost four on the bounce against Union on home turf. In East German times, FCE were known as BSG Wismut Aue and held a credible record against the Köpenick club with 20 wins, eight draws and just eight losses in total.
Personnel: Fischer happy with options
Fischer told the press he was happy with training and preparation this week. However, despite the majority of his squad coming through in good shape, Grischa Prömel looks to require a little bit more time in getting back up to speed after injury.
Service: Sold out away section
More than 1,750 supporters will travel to Aue on Sunday, with no more tickets available.
1. FC Union Berlin’s traditional Weihnachtssingen event takes place on Sunday December 23 at 19:00 at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei.
