1. FC Union Berlin secured three more vital points on Sunday afternoon with their away win against SC Freiburg. Having gone a goal down, the guests came back to win through goals from Rani Khedira and Andrej Ilic either side of halftime. 

1. FC Union Berlin: Rönnow – Trimmel, Doekhi, Querfeld, Leite, Juranovic – Haberer (86. Tousart), Khedira, Jeong (8. Skarke (69. Schäfer)) - Hollerbach (86. Benes), Ilić (86. Ljubicic) 

SC Freiburg: Atubolu (58. Müller) - Sildillia (67. Kübler), Ginter, Lienhart, Günter (67. Beste) - Eggestein (86. Manzambi), Osterhage - Dōan, Höler (58. Dinkci), Grifo - Gregoritsch 

The starting XI

Zuschauer: 34.300 

Goals: 1-0 Höler (28.), 1-1 Khedira (30.), 1-2 Ilic (48.) 

Khedira cancels out Höler’s opener emphatically

Union hadn’t won in Freiburg since February 2021, but rarely had a victory seemed of such importance as this, lifting Union to 13th place in the table, eight blessed points above third from bottom. It certainly hasn’t sealed things, but Andre Ilic’s winner will be remembered for some time to come, as will a superb performance at the back.

Indeed, as Diogo Leite was keen to point out, this, their third time coming back from a goal down in three games was due  to their togetherness. “Today, everyone worked hard and thus played their part in getting these three important points,” he said. “Now we want to continue in this vein.”

It had proved to be a tough start for Union, as Wooyeong Jeong had limped off bitterly after only six minutes, having seemingly got his studs caught in the Freiburg turf when challenging Christian Ginter out on the right-hand side. He was replaced immediately by Tim Skarke, the look on Steffen Baumgart’s face betraying not his thoughts on the replacement, but on the necessity. It was a tough blow to take so early on in a crucial game.

Freiburg, flying again this season, had started well, and it took a wonderful intervention from Leopold Querfeld to cut out Ritu Doan’s cross in from the right, having found a pocket of space behind Diogo Leite to run onto Ginter’s ball into.

Union, though, created the next chance, when Andrej Ilic, back in the side for the first time since… combined with Hollerbach, putting his shot too close to Noah Atubolu with the outside of his boot. Hollerbach flickered, Skarke couldn’t connect from the edge of the box.

Frederik Rönnow punched danger man, Vicenzo Grifo’s free kick away with a certain scruffy ease, the ball squirming away off his gloves when usually it would arrow.

But if the opening phases had been underwhelming, the game was soon to take flight. First, it was the hosts who took the lead with 27 minutes played as Grifo found Lucas Höler in the box, as lonely as a cloud near the penalty spot. He finished under the body of the sprawling Rönnow without having to break stride.

But as the Freiburg fans continued their celebrations, suddenly, it was all level again. This time Christopher Trimmel hit a deep ball in towards Ilic, but Philipp Lienhardt intercepted. His clearance, however, went straight into the path of Rani Khedira. Union’s vice-captain still had plenty of work to do, but he leathered the ball first time inside the left-hand post, his head up, putting his laces through it. It was a finish of impeccable technique and unconcealed brutality.

Union had seized the momentum, and Hollerbach came close next, as did Skarke with five minutes of the half to play when Leite found him loitering on the edge of the box, but he could only slice his shot at the German under 21 keeper, Atubolu.

The game again balanced itself out as the half wore on, with Haberer and Skarke both making excellent challenges in Union’s half, and Rönnow doing well to deflect Kiliann Sildillia’s low and tricky cross away to safety.

Ilic doubles Union’s lead; they hold on for a vital win

Baumgart sent his side out unchanged after the break, and within three minutes his faith was repaid. It started with Trimmel, but was created and, ultimately, finished by Ilic. He took the captain’s ball, laying it off for Skarke on the right. As he attacked Ginter’s side, Ilic, meanwhile, was continuing his run into the box, drifting into a huge gap by the penalty spot, one that Skarke found with a brilliantly weighted cross.

All the Serbian had to do was rise and guide it home, sending Atubolu the wrong way as he did so. The day wouldn’t improve for the stopper, he had already picked up a knock and was taken off before ten minutes of the second half were out.

But it was the keeper at the other end, Rönnow, who would catch the eye next, when he raced off his line like a fire had broken out to hinder Grifo before he could get a shot off. Freiburg’s top scorer was free and seemed destined to score, but it was another example of what makes Union’s keeper so important, he lives on his reflexes.

Grifo’s next touch in the box was too quick for his team-mate, Michael Gregoritsch, who didn’t read the short reverse pass before it was too late. Indeed, Freiburg were probably guilty of overcomplicating things, as seen a moment later when Haberer was happy to clear when they tried to take too many touches in the Union box  when something  a  little  more agricultural was required.

With 20 minutes to play, Skarke was replaced by Andras Schäfer. Rarely is a player happy to be substituted both on and off in a single game. Skarke knew that this wasn’t really the case, however; his assist had been an excellent one, and Schäfer was immediately in the thick of things, embarking on a 25 yard dash, the ball at his toe, that was ended when his shot was saved by Atubolu’s replacement, Florian  Müller, as the angle tightened ever more.

Ilic came close next, with 15 minutes to play, when he flicked his head at Haberer’s cross, swinging in towards the back post, but he couldn’t direct it goalwards.  

Still Freiburg looked to come back, and they dominated the ball as the game moved into its final period, but Union were  dogged at the back, and when the chance came, either Gregoritsch’s header went much the same  way as Ilic’s before him, or Juranović  somehow got in ahead of Patrick Osterhage as chaos suddenly broke out in the Union box. With eight minutes to play, Ginter could only look on as the ball rolled the wrong side of him into the hands of Rönnow, when had things fallen differently, he would have been in with more than a sniff.

Baumgart then looked to add to their frustration, adding to his midfield, as he made a triple substitution with five minutes left on the clock, bringing on Lucas Tousart, Laszlo Bénes and Marin Ljubicic for Hollerbach, Ilic and Haberer.

With six minutes added on being played Freiburg threw what they had left at Union. Eren Dinkci headed wide before Jan-Niklas Beste tried to trick his way past Trimmel. But even now, after the whole game, Union’s 38-year-old skipper kept his wits about him, watching the ball not the man, and coming away with it cleanly, perfectly.

Haberer summed it up after the final whistle. “Defensively, we were very good today,” he said. “As we have been in recent games. We now have a good momentum and want to take the points again in the game against Wolfsburg.”

Baumgart was cautiously happy, too. “It wasn't a game where you could say either team was better. After going 1-0 down, we came back very well and started the second half even better. We had more chances after that, but we didn't always finish them off well. That's why it was important to keep at it and create our own luck, which you sometimes need in football,” he said.

Then, as the final minute was up, there was almost a final twist in the tail. Bénes came away with the ball, finding Tousart as he rushed towards the edge of the Freiburg box. Brought down, Bénes stood over the free kick, 20 yrads outside the box, pretty central. But few joined him. They weren’t going to risk the break. Bénes’ shot was true, and well struck, but it flew just wide of the right-hand upright.

It mattered little. Union’s first win in Freiburg in four years had come at the most important of times.