By Roberto Lamprecht, Sebastian Karkos and Paul Gorgas
Ending. Out. Over! Union wins the derby 2-0 at Hertha in the sold-out Olympic Stadium and wins the Berlin city championship again. Bitter: It could have been the last derby for a very long time…
As Bayern hunters, the Irons grab nine points from the last three games after the Champions League. After zero points from three games, Hertha is staggering in 17th place with 14 measly points towards relegation. And it is highly questionable how quickly the Berliners would recover from their major financial problems…
The humiliation for Hertha is perfect: The blue and whites lose the fifth derby in a row, making them the Köpenickers’ favorite opponent. The strong Unioners have such a winning streak against no other Bundesliga club.
Union Party at the Olympic Stadium after winning the Derby Photo: City Press
Curious: Hertha has lost six of the last seven games, but coach Sandro Schwarz (44) receives a job guarantee from manager Fredi Bobic (51) before kick-off. Bobic on “Sky” when asked whether the coach would remain in office in the event of a defeat: “Absolutely!”
Union wins, and Black can keep losing… But why?
Hertha’s goalkeeper Oliver Christensen faces the fans in the east stand, who threw the colored posters from the choreography before the game onto the running track Photo: City Press
Hertha sometimes had “really exciting games”, Bobic explained during the week. Added to this is the “great atmosphere” within the team.
Bobic had chosen black in the summer. So he wants to (still) protect his choice.
Union fans ignite pyrotechnics in the Berlin derby against Hertha in the Olympic Stadium Photo: City Press
The coach also has the backing of the team – still: Marco Richter (25): “We have a lot of trust in the coach. It’s no secret that he’s a great fit for us. He’s missing the points just like we are.”
But: Hertha will face Frankfurt, Gladbach and Dortmund in the coming weeks, until Augsburg comes to the Olympic Stadium at the end of February. At the latest, points are urgently needed if you don’t want to relegate after 2012.
Hertha on the ground – and Union on top!
The lead for Union: Danilo Doekhi (No. 5) with a 1-0 header just before the break Photo: ANNEGRET HILSE/REUTERS
► 44 minutes: Trimmel hits a free kick into the penalty area. Doekhi heads in from eleven meters.
► 67 minutes: Khedira wins the ball against Kempf in his own penalty area. Becker quickly moves forward. He puts it across the middle, where Seguin only has to push into the empty goal. 2:0!
After that there is a lot of discussion about Khedira’s duel. Referee Felix Brych rightly does not give a penalty.
Paul Seguin celebrates his goal to make it 2-0 for Union at Hertha Photo: REUTERS/Annegret Hilse
Sees Hertha differently. Captain Marvin Plattenhardt grumbles: “He clearly hits Kempf’s foot. It’s a game-changing scene. If there are penalties, it’s 1-1, but now it’s 0-2.”
Khedira counters: “First I play the ball clearly, then there is contact.”
Hertha is playing much better than last (0:5 against Wolfsburg, 1:3 in Bochum). The first shot on goal comes in the 74th minute.
Plattenhardt: “There are no points. Of course that sucks!”
Consolation from mascot Herthinho for the disappointed Kevin Prince Boateng Photo: City Press
Union soaring – and rumor has it that the club is even dealing with Isco (30)! The former Real Madrid star is currently without a club.
Bitter: Andras Schäfer has to go down injured for the break. The Hungarian broke his metatarsus in November. Is it the same injury again? Coach Urs Fischer after the game: “He’s on his way to the hospital. I hope it’s not too bad.”