Hollerbach and Fofana let Union Berlin breathe a sigh of relief against 1. FC Cologne

This victory saves Union Berlin’s Christmas: thanks to Benedict Hollerbach and David Fofana, the “Iron” go into the winter break in 15th place. At 1. FC Köln the fear of relegation increases after the 0:2 (0:0).

Steffen Baumgart didn’t beat around the bush for long in the run-up to the game. “Both teams have their asses on ice“, said the FC coach before the game against Union, where he is a club member. However, the duel was also a great opportunity for both teams. Because: the winner was sure that after a weak first half of the season, he would at least be able to spend the winter in a non-relegation zone.

A lot of cramp, hardly any football and no goals in the first half

Given the starting situation, a footballing treat was unlikely – and that’s what happened. The initial phase was characterized by duels and took place almost exclusively between the two penalty areas; there were no shots on goal. Both teams focused on their defense and waited for an opportunity to be dangerous without having to take too many risks.

In the first 25 minutes the statistics showed one shot on goal by both teams, but the attempts were far from being described as scoring opportunities. The first hint of danger arose after a long-range shot from Cologne’s Eric Martel, which shot just over the goal from around 22 meters (27′). And FC also had the first slightly bigger chance, when one of the two goalkeepers, Frederik Rönnow, had to intervene for the first time when Denis Huseinbasic shot a shot (37th).

And the Union keeper was still in demand. A little later, Rönnow had to parry twice – first he fended off Rasmus Carstensen’s attempt, then he was also there for Jan Thielmann’s follow-up shot (43′). A minute later, Marvin Schwäbe was in action for the first time, successfully throwing himself into the path of Kevin Behrens shortly before the goal (44′). It was the end of a very tough first half.

“Can opener” – Hollerbach hits out of nowhere

In the second half, the picture from the first was repeated. Cologne tried hard to set an offensive tone, while Union was disappointing across the board in terms of play. And so the guests were significantly closer to the first goal, but Rönnow was also able to defuse a header from Davie Selke (51st).

And then a good move was enough for the Berliners to actually take the lead. Kevin Volland found Benedict Hollerbach in the penalty area, who first went around Martel and then placed the ball powerfully in the short top corner (55th).

“The goal was very important“Hollerbach told Sportschau about his goal after the game.”It was the can opener, you could tell there was a jolt through the team.“

And suddenly, despite an extremely poor performance, Union was suddenly very close to a fundamentally important victory. The day before, the last two placed (Darmstadt 98 and Mainz 05) had only played a draw, so three points would give Berlin a little breathing room in the table.

Schwäbe saves several times – until Fofana comes

Shortly after the opening goal, Hollerbach broke through into the opponent’s penalty area again and finished, but this time Schwäbe was able to save his team from conceding their second goal within two minutes (57th). And Cologne’s goalkeeper also had to intervene in the 71st minute when Josip Juranovic finished from ten meters. Schwäbe even pulled off a great feat against Alex Kral, which was refined by Max Finkgräfe, who was able to block Volland’s follow-up shot in front of the line (72′).

Nothing more came from Cologne in this phase and the Baumgart team could only thank Schwäbe that the game was not yet decided at the beginning of the final quarter of an hour. The 28-year-old had to repeatedly prevent another goal against David Fofana (76th). But could those in front of him ensure that these actions were rewarded with a point win?

The answer came relatively quickly. Shortly afterwards, Union countered again, Volland set up again and this time Fofana finished successfully – like Hollerbach, he shot the ball under the roof of the goal (78th). The 2-0 and the decision in favor of the hosts.

A little cushion for Union Berlin

And so it became increasingly apparent that Cologne would survive the winter in a relegation zone with just ten points (and only ten goals scored) from the first 16 games. Before the game, those responsible had already avoided making a commitment to Baumgart, so the discussions about the coach’s future are likely to continue to concern the club.

“We played a very good game for 60 minutes, then Union made it 1-0 out of nowhere. Then it’s a result sport and Union got the result. It wasn’t the better team that won, but the one that scored two goals“, Baumgart said in the Sportschau interview and added about his future: “We will now go into the analysis and talk about everything. And then you’ll know what it looks like.“

Meanwhile, Union managed to provide a little relief after an extremely problematic half-year, in which there was a premiere in the Champions League, but also a crash in the Bundesliga. Although Berlin remains at risk in 15th place, the victory against its direct rivals allows coach Nenad Bjelica’s team to breathe a little easier for the time being.