1. FC Union Berlin picked up a 2-1 win at Energie Cottbus in the U19 Bundesliga to conclude a successful opening half of the season.

Energie Cottbus started in the strongest possible fashion with the opening goal of the game. Union fought back to level on 37 minutes through Ensar Aksakal.

Union dominated from the start of the second half, winning a penalty kick early on. However, Fisnik Asllani's effort was saved. The Köpenick club bounced back, pushing Cottbus to the limits and scoring within a few minutes on the hour mark. Stefan Rankic played a precise pass into Tim Maciejewski who finished with a lob.

"We had a hard time getting into the game," said head coach Andre Vilk. "Although we had more ball possession, good chances were often missing. Overall the victory is deserved. We invested more in the game and once again showed good character. It was a good reaction to last week's game against Chemnitz, where we had to rely on some luck."

XI: Oppermann - Labroussis, Rankic, Liebelt, Riecke - Dag (Cvjetinovic 78), Gencel, Maciejewski, Aksakal - Somnitz (Nikol 88), Asllani

Sunday's game at the FEZ-Berlin against Hannover is the start of the second round of fixtures in the league. "This brings back some memories of winning the first game in injury time 4-3. The success has been the springboard for us. It will be a difficult challenge against good opposition," added Vilk.