Union Berlin lost a win at feared opponents VfL Wolfsburg, but has moved back up to fourth place in the Champions League.
Coach Urs Fischer’s team scored a point in the Volkswagen Arena for the first time with a 1-1 (0-0) win at the fourth attempt and overtook SC Freiburg again. The hosts continue to occupy eighth place in the table.
“We were 1-0 in the lead, so of course we want to get the thing over time. But overall we can be satisfied with the point,” said Unions Sven Michel on “DAZN”. The English weeks were “exhausting, we invested a lot – and we took a point with strong wolves.”
The visitors took the lead in the 72nd minute when Josip Juranovic converted a penalty after Josuha Guilavogui brought down Aissa Laidouni. Patrick Wimmer (84th), who had just come on as a substitute, equalized twelve minutes later with a deflected shot.
Three days after the 3-3 win in the first leg of the Europa League round of 16 against Union Saint-Gilloise from Belgium, the guests found it difficult to get into the game. Despite a small team rotation, the guests looked tired. Lower Saxony dominated the game, but there was hardly any danger of scoring.
The 23,544 spectators became loud for the first time after exactly fifteen minutes. A free kick by Mattias Svanberg from 22 meters away made the crossbar of the Union goal vibrate, goalkeeper Frederik Rönnow would have had no chance to defend himself. In the period that followed, however, the game was largely uneventful.
That only changed shortly before the end of the first half. Omar Marmoush missed the VfL lead in the 44th minute, and in added time the Egyptian hit the side netting from a tight angle. Coach Niko Kovac gave his striker an encouraging pat on the back as he walked into the dressing room.
Fischer drives Union professionals forward
The North African was a constant threat to the visitors even after the break. In the 59th minute, Marmoush tested Union keeper Rönnow from close range with an artistic header. In order to relieve the lively dribbler up front, Kovac brought on national player Lukas Nmecha four minutes later.
In fact, the pressure on the Berlin goal grew, Union dived less and less in front of the opposing penalty area. Fischer didn’t like that at all, with economical but unmistakable gestures he pushed his protégés forward. And was allowed to cheer in the 72nd minute – the equalizer came anyway.