What an attunement! Eintracht Frankfurt beaten, now the next Europa League semi-finalist should feel the impact of 1. FC Union Berlin.
The final spurt of the season at 1. FC Union Berlin becomes an almost limitless football festival. Barça defeated Eintracht Frankfurt, third win in a row, sixth place in the Bundesliga. The trend is rising, and the unofficial champion of the capital wants more.
Europa League, even Champions League – “I don’t really care,” said coach Urs Fischer. “We said we’d try to get up there again. We are still within striking distance.”
Fischer’s team has already collected 47 points – more than ever before in the short history of the Irons in the Bundesliga. SC Freiburg in fifth place has four more points, Bayer 04 Leverkusen in fourth place has five more points. And then comes RB Leipzig, seven points ahead. Above all, Union’s opponents on Wednesday and Saturday. First in the DFB Cup, then in the league. Both times at the Red Bull Arena.
Both games where the iron can continue to work on their legends. “We’ll do everything in our power to progress to the next round and get into the final,” said Grischa Prömel, the dream goalscorer in the 2-0 win over Eintracht: “The whole Union family deserves that.”
“Drive to Leipzig with a full band”
Cup final in the Olympic Stadium, it would also be the next disgrace for the suspended city rivals Hertha BSC, for which one of the three derby defeats against Union this season in the round of 16 ended in the cup. Prömel’s plan for the duel with the strong Saxons: “Regenerate well, sleep early, eat healthily and drive to Leipzig with a full band.”
The Unioners have known since Easter Sunday how victories against a Europa League semi-finalist work. Taiwo Awoniyi and Prömel (17th and 21st) made everything clear within a few minutes. The first half in particular was a testament to the qualities of this team. Intense, powerful, physical, passionate – the Berliners gave the Frankfurters no chance three days after their Catalan triumph night at FC Barcelona.
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However, only two hits were not enough in this phase. The fact that his team acted much more cautiously in the second half was considered by some to be a power-saving measure. Fischer taught them otherwise. The style of play was too passive for the Swiss: “We have to address that.” He should be able to find the right words again.
Under the 56-year-old Swiss, Union also mastered the earnings crisis this season after Max Kruse’s surprising departure at the end of January. From last season’s 50 points, the Berliners are now only three away. And when you look at the rest of the program, in addition to the direct European Cup competitors Leipzig and SC Freiburg, there are also the two games against the bottom of the table SpVgg Greuther Fürth and promoted VfL Bochum. Opportunities for boundary-pushing football festivals.
