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Queens Park Rangers vs 1. FC Union Berlin
Friendly, 6. Matchday
QPR vs 1. FC Union
Friendly, 6. Matchday
Sat., 28. July 2018, 14:30 Uhr
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Union go down 3-0 at QPR
Match report
1. FC Union Berlin's final pre-season match ended in defeat as Championship side Queens Park Rangers ran out 3-0 winners at Loftus Road.
Goals from Osayi-Samuel, Smith and Eze made it a difficult afternoon for the Köpenick club who will now turn their attention to the league opener next weekend against Erzgebirge Aue.
Queens Park Rangers: Ingram; Kakay (Baptiste 76), Leistner, Lynch, Bidwell; Osayi-Samuel (Manning 65), Luongo (Cousins 72), Scowen (Smyth 72), Freeman; Eze, Smith (Washington 81)
1. FC Union Berlin: Gikiewicz; Trimmel, Friedrich, Dietz (Schösswendter 53), Reichel (Lenz 64); Prömel (Kroos 57), Hartel, Schmiedebach (Parensen 78); Hedlund (Mees 57), Andersson (Taz 78), Redondo (Gogia 64)
Attendance: 4,097
More than 1,500 fans from Berlin packed into Loftus Road in West London and gave a superb account of the football club. But despite their best efforts, Urs Fischer's side struggled to compete with the pace and power of QPR in attack. Rafal Gikiewicz was forced into a number of solid saves before Bright Osayi-Samuel cut inside from the left and fired past the Polish keeper after 18 minutes. Matt Smith headed in the second soon after as the London club put breathing space between the hosts and Union.
Both teams continued on with the same players after the break, but Union were on the defensive from the get-go. Matt Smith came close to scoring a third, but it wouldn't take long for it to come. Christopher Trimmel clipped Ebere Eze and the QPR striker stepped up to convert from the penalty spot. Akaki Gogia came off the bench and did his best to make an impact, setting up Joshua Mees whose shot was saved by Ingram. Even if the result went the other way, the final minutes were claimed by the travelling supporters who gave superb backing to Union.
"It showed us that we have to be ready," said coach Urs Fischer. "We did not do so to the extent we had imagined today. Maybe it was a shot in the arm at the right time."
Union take on Queens Park Rangers
Match preview
1. FC Union Berlin are going international this weekend with a warm welcome expected from English Championship side Queens Park Rangers on Saturday July 28 (14:30 local). It's the final pre-season game for the team before the 2.Bundesliga starts next Sunday against Erzgebirge Aue at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei.
Torrential downpour in Berlin last time
Our previous meeting with QPR took place almost a year ago. Fans from London travelled with the hope of seeing their side take a win from Berlin-Köpenick. But in extraordinary circumstances, the first meeting was cancelled after 12 minutes following a heavy downpour in the area before kick off. Two days later, Damir Kreilach and Philipp Hosiner scored to give the Berlin side a 2-1 win.
Now managed by Steve McClaren, Queens Park Rangers are hoping to do better than their 16th-placed finish in the Championship last season. The club from West London avoided a relegation battle with a mid-table ranking in the second tier. The 57-year-old, who was England manager between 2010 and 2012, will be keen to put QPR back into playoff contention when their season gets underway next week against Preston North End.
Old friends from QPR
Relations between London and Berlin have developed on the park, too. Sebastian Polter played 51 times for Queens Park Rangers before returning to the German capital and the 27-year-old remains a fans favourite at Loftus Road. QPR's high-proifle addition of this summer was Toni Leistner, the former Union centre-back who signed this summer.
Travel and fan information
Fans are encouraged not to travel without a ticket. As we announced this week, there will be no away tickets on sale at Loftus Road on matchday. Home area tickets are available, but only with proof of a UK residence.
Loftus Road Stadium is located in Shepherd's Bush, a district of West London. The full address is: S Africa Road, Shepherd's Bush, London, W12 7PJ
