1. FC Union Berlin came close to staging a dramatic comeback in Bochum, but were held 2-2 at the Ruhrstadion.
Urs Fischer's side fell behind to Anthony Losilla's first-half strike. Silvere Gavoula scored from the spot before being shown a second yellow card. But Union's never-say-die attitude shone through with late goals from Grischa Prömel and Joshua Mees sparking chaotic scenes at the end.
In the end, Union held on to a point and have secured a relegation playoff against VfB Stuttgart.
Felix Kroos was the single change to the Union Berlin XI, which beat Magdeburg 3-0 last Sunday at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei. Clear skies greeted the teams at the Vonovia Ruhrstadion in Bochum, but that would not last long as the heavens soon opened. The conditions looked troublesome under-foot as neither team settled into a rhythm in the opening 20 minutes. Union fell behind after 24 minutes when Anthony Losilla found space, left side of the box and curled past Rafal Gikiewicz. Despite the setback, the Köpenick club — cheered on by more than 5,000 supporters — showed character to regain a foot in the game. Bochum keeper Manuel Riemann kept the hosts in front with a series of important interventions before the break. A great cross from Christopher Trimmel gave Sebastian Andersson something to attack on 36 minutes, but Riemann denied the Swede with a fine, reflex save. Neither the Swede nor Sebastian Polter could convert Ken Reichel’s tantalising delivery towards the interval as Robin Dutt’s side carried the lead beyond 45 minutes.
With Paderborn behind in Dresden, the second half got off to the worst possible start. Prömel was punished for a foul in the box and Ganvoula stepped up to give the home side a two-goal advantage. Mees and Akaki Gogia were introduced thereafter and added some spark to Union's forward play. The visitors from Berlin were given a boost with 20 minutes to go when Ganvoula was shown his marching orders after picking up a second yellow card. Following the substitution of Suleiman Abdullahi, Fischer's team found another gear. But Manuel Riemann had his goal in check and Union required a moment of individual brilliance to spark a comeback. It came in the form of Prömel's 30-yard scorcher with eight minutes left in the game. Union pressed and Mees collected the loose ball inside the box and rammed home the leveller with four minutes left on the clock. The finish was enthralling for the neutral, but torture for both sets of supporters in the Ruhrstadion. Robin Dutt's team will feel hard done by not to have scored at the end themselves, while Union created a great chance in stoppage time - Riemann denying Abdullahi from about 6 yards out with a fine save.
Union will return to action beyond the league campaign, facing VfB Stuttgart over two legs in the Bundesliga relegation play-off. The first leg will take place on Thursday in Stuttgart, with the return leg at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei on Monday night. Ticket information is now available on the club website.
Union battle for promotion in season finale in Bochum
Match preview
On the final day of the 2.Bundesliga campaign, 1. FC Union Berlin will make the trip to VfL Bochum for Sunday’s 15:30 showdown at the Ruhrstadion.
Last week’s 3-0 win over 1. FC Magdeburg secured a minimum finish of third for Union, which would mean a Relegation play-off against VfB Stuttgart. However, three points for the Köpenick club and a slip-up from second-place Paderborn would see Urs Fischer’s team secure automatic promotion to the Bundesliga.
"It's not easy to win in Bochum, even if it's not that important for them compared to us. Buit I assume they will want to say goodbye to their fans and do everything in their power to win this game. For us, that means a top attitude and a concentrated performance. We have to do everything we can," said Fischer in the pre-match press conference.
Review: Union relegate Magdeburg, Bochum hold St. Pauli to draw
Union marked the final home match of the league campaign with a comfortable victory over the club from Sachsen-Anhalt, a defeat which consigned Michael Oenning’s team to relegation. Grischa Prömel scored after eight minutes to ease the nerves at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei. Partnering Sebastian Andersson in attack, Sebastian Polter took his goal tally for the season to nine, with a double — the first after 31 minutes. The 29-year-old added his second after the 90th minute following a long stoppage in play due to crowd disturbances in the away section of the ground.
Meanwhile, Robin Dutt’s Bochum played out a 0-0 draw at FC St. Pauli. A win in the season finale could move Bochum up or down one place, but that will have no impact on their 2.Bundesliga status for the new season. Despite a good end to the Hinrunde, Bochum’s form in the second round of the season has been quite inconsistent — only Hamburg have taken less points than Dutt’s side from the last 14 games. Home, however, has been a reasonable comfort zone for Bochum with their current run extending to four games without a defeat.
Record: Mixed results against VfL
Bochum and Union are the two clubs in the league with the longest, unbroken period in the division — since 2009. The Köpenick club haven’t travelled too confidently to the Ruhrstadion in past seasons — the last victorious trip to Bochum was in December 2013 with a 4-0 win for Union. The last two meetings in Bochum have ended 2-1 for the hosts — the last ending the reign of Jens Keller as head coach. However, overall Union’s record against Bochum is solid with 10 wins from 19 matches in the second division.
Personnel: Full complement in Bochum
Fischer confirmed that Fabian Schönheim and Eroll Zejnullahu remain absentees for the final league game of the season. "Otherwise, it looks good. We still have a final training session," added Fischer. The team will travel a day earlier for the game and the Swiss coach described preparations as "normal" for a "special" match.
Service: 5,000 in Bochum | Public Viewing in Berlin
Union expect an away crowd of over 5,000 in the Ruhrstadion for Sunday’s match. There are no more tickets available for the away sections. For supporters who will travel on our special train to Bochum, more information can be found here.
On Sunday, there will be a public viewing arranged at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei with supporters able to find a spot in the parking zone from 14:30.
