First goal of the season achieved: Union Berlin wins against Cologne and has thus cracked the 40-point mark. The Berliners benefited from a bitter defensive error by Cologne captain Hector.
1. FC Union Berlin has overcome its Kruse low for the time being and has already got in the mood for the explosive capital city derby. The one-time crowd hero Steffen Baumgart suffered at the start of the 28th match day of the Bundesliga: The ex-Unioner conceded a 0-1 (0-0) loss as a coach with 1. FC Köln on Friday evening and thus also a damper in the fight for the international Business. Thanks to the second win – in the eighth game – since the departure of top scorer Max Kruse, the Unioner passed Cologne with 41 points in the table.
The only goal came after a bad pass from ex-national player Jonas Hector. In front of 22,012 spectators in the An der Alten Försterei stadium, which was full for the first time since November, Taiwo Awoniyi took the opportunity to score his twelfth goal of the season in the 49th minute.
Finally full hut again
Evening game, floodlights, and finally a full house again. Since the derby win against Hertha on November 20th, the Irons have had to wait for their special stadium experience due to the corona restrictions that have been lifted in Berlin since Friday. It was correspondingly atmospheric, including pyrotechnics and frenetic support.
And the people from Köpenick almost gave their fans a dream start. But after a fine pass from Sheraldo Becker after 58 seconds, Awoniyi missed the ball, otherwise the Nigerian would have been through freely. The game didn’t give up many chances. Becker from a tight angle (25′) and Rani Khedira with a long-range shot next to the goal (35′) were Berlin’s best actions in the first half.
Cologne without Modeste
The game was characterized by struggle and passion, which FC coach Baumgart exemplified on the sidelines. It was a special game for the popular ex-Unioner, after all his family still lives in Köpenick. His Cologne team, however, lacked the penetrating power. The short-term absence of the sick striker Anthony Modeste made itself felt, the Cologne acted far too harmless. Jonas Hector’s best chance also came about by chance (39′).
And it was Hector who put his team behind. After a nasty back pass to Awoniyi’s feet, the striker gratefully accepted the gift and scored the opener. With his twelfth goal of the season, he equaled the Bundesliga club record set by current Cologne player Sebastian Andersson from the 2019/20 season. The Swede in the FC jersey was lost at his old place of work. But there was no more rebellion from his colleagues either, so the eighth defeat of the season was inevitable.