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VfB Germania Halberstadt vs 1. FC Union Berlin
German DFB Pokal, Round 1
Halberstadt vs 1. FC Union
German DFB Pokal, Round 1
Sun., 11. August 2019, 15:30 Uhr
0
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6
Union Berlin hit six to defeat Germania Halberstadt
Match report
1. FC Union Berlin are through to the second round of the DFB Pokal following a 6-0 victory against Regionalliga side VfB Germania Halberstadt.
Keven Schlotterbeck headed the Bundesliga club from Köpenick into a first-half lead before second half goals from Sebastian Andersson, Christopher Lenz, Joshua Mees, Robert Andrich and Anthony Ujah took the stuffing out of Sunday's lower-league opponents.
VfB Germania Halberstadt: Sowade; Pläschke, Ambrosius, Twardzik, Schulze; Tchakoumi, Bretgeld; Messing (Korsch 16), Wenzel; Yilmaz, Blaser
1. FC Union Berlin: Gikiewicz; Trimmel, Schlotterbeck, Parensen, Lenz; Prömel, Gentner; Becker (Mees 60), Bülter, Ingvartsen (Andrich 65); Andersson (Ujah 71)
Competitive football in Germany commenced this weekend with the opening round of the DFB Pokal, the German FA Cup. Union Berlin made the trip to VfB Germania Halberstadt, last season's runner-up in their regional competition which secured their second appearance in the famous tournament. Urs Fischer's first starting line-up of the new season featured five new faces – Schlotterbeck, Christian Gentner, Marius Bülter, Sheraldo Becker and Marcus Ingvartsen. The usual central defensive pairing of Marvin Friedrich and Florian Hübner was unavailable due to suspension and injury, respectively.
The surface at the Friedensstadion offered little help to either side, if they wanted to build through the centre of the pitch. Halberstadt went direct to both of their strikers at the start of the game and looked to frustrate Union with a deep defensive line. Goalkeeper Florian Sowade was the most involved member of the Halberstadt team and kept the fourth-tier club in the game throughout the opening 45 minutes. Inside two minutes, 20 & 22, Sowade stood firm to prevent Andersson from scoring with a couple of snap shots. But on 27 minutes, a standard set-play from Christopher Trimmel was met by a bullet header from Schlotterbeck, who notched his first goal for 1. FC Union Berlin since joining on loan from SC Freiburg in the summer. Five minutes later, Lenz drove forward from an inside position and fired a great strike on target, but only as far as the crossbar.
Halberstadt's chances were limited to force Rafal Gikiewicz into a sweat, but on 53 minutes they were not far off from equalising. Twardzik found Blaser with a neat pass, the striker squeezing his way into the box but the shot was high and wide of the target. The crucial second goal arrived on 65 minutes: Ingvartsen retaining possession and playing through Andersson who slotted under Sowade. From there on, the floodgates opened with the home side struggling to find the balance between chasing a goal and holding out for a closer scoreline. Grischa Prömel assisted Lenz on 67 minutes, the left-back scoring with an outstanding left-foot strike from the corner of the box. Mees and Andrich were introduced around the hour mark and both contributed to the fourth on 71 minutes – the former Heidenheim midfielder drilling the ball across goal for Mees to tap home. Andrich fired in a fifth with a well-taken right-foot volley from the edge of the area. Substitute Ujah recorded his first goal in competitive action for Union, holding off Ambrosius and rounding Sowade before finishing into an empty net with two minutes left.
With a second round date booked in the calendar, Fischer's Union can look forward to the first league match in the Bundesliga on Sunday August 18 at 18:00. RB Leipzig are the visitors to the Stadion An der Alten Försterei for the highly-anticipated league opener next week.
Focus on the Cup with away clash in Halberstadt
Match preview
In the first round of the DFB Pokal, 1. FC Union Berlin will head to fourth-tier VfB Germania Halberstadt on Sunday August 11 at 15:30. Urs Fischer's side meet their first competitive test following a successful pre-season, which saw just the one defeat at home to Celta Vigo last week.
Opposition Check: Halberstadt with mixed start
The side from the Regionalliga Nordost, Germany's fourth division for the north-east of the country, reached their regional final last season, but lost 0-2 to Hallescher FC. A strong performance in the competition guaranteed Halberstadt's place in the German Cup for the first time since 2017/18. In their first appearance in the tournament, Germania Halberstadt lost 2-1 at home to SC Freiburg in the opening round.
After three games, Halberstadt have four points and sit down in ninth. Last weekend, Sven Körner's team lost 2-1 in the capital against Berliner AK, but they started the season well with a win over Optik Rathenow and a draw at home to Meuselwitz.
Home Check: Union prepare for competitive football
Last Saturday's defeat to Celta Vigo was a minor setback in pre-season preparations following a string of good results in Austria. Although RB Leipzig is on the horizon in a week's time, there is work to be done in Halberstadt, with Union looking to progress in the competition, in which they reached the final in 2002.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference on Friday, the Swiss coach accepted Union's position as favourites for the cup match. "I see our role as favourites, but for me it's crucial how this delicate challenge is tackled. It takes the right attitude to leave the pitch as the winner. We have to respect our opponents and still be confident if we want to qualify for the next round. The cup has shown time and again that it is good for surprises."
Service: Extra away tickets available at the ground
Germania Halberstadt have made extra tickets available for 1. FC Union Berlin fans and those can be collected at the Friedensstadion on Sunday.
Gates will be open from 13:30.
The home club has organised a park-ride service given there is limited parking space around the stadium. You can be collected from Porta Möbel car park to H.-Neupert-Str. at the Friedensstadion.
No parking is available near the away section of the stadium.
