Union Berlin suffered a 1-0 defeat to eastern rivals Dynamo Dresden at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei.

New coach Andre Hofschneider inherited a difficult situation this week following the departure of Jens Keller after a poor run. With over 22,000 packed into the biggest pure football stadium in Berlin, Keller’s side came up short against the team in black and yellow.

Both teams cancelled each other out in the first half with Hofschneider and Neuhaus watching their teams defend reasonably well. Dresden were limited to a long-range effort from Haris Duljevic, while Union passed up a bunch of good openings due to a lack of precision in the final ball. At the end of the half, Union threatened further through Krisitian Pedersen and Toni Leistner from set pieces, but it wasn’t enough to bother Marvin Schwäbe.

Union Berlin dominated in the quarter of an hour after the restart, but failure to conjure up much creativity in the final third. Neuhaus’ side were defensively strong, and sprung quickly on the counterattack. In the 72^nd minute, Lambertz slotted home from close range under little pressure in the Union box. Dresden’s stubbornness was rewarded and the eastern German side walked home with all three points.

"In the end, it was a deserved result. In the first half, we tried to take on Dresden’s attack and had some good transition moments. However, the last pass did not come. We made the wrong decisions in some situations, but we could have taken the lead. Overall, the result at the break was just. After the first half, we had the big chance for Sebastian Polter, which could have been a signal for the team. Afterwards, Dresden had more of the game and deserved to win," said Hofschneider.

Union Berlin return to the Alte Försterei on Friday December 15, finishing off the league action for the year with a visit from Ingolstadt.