Union Berlin is just a step away from the cup final on their own doorstep.
The Bundesliga club won the quarter-finals against second division club FC St. Pauli 2-1 (1-1) and is in the last four for the first time in 21 years. As a regional league team, Union sensationally advanced to the final in 2001, and only one win is missing before they appear again in the Olympic Stadium. St. Pauli had knocked out reigning cup winners Borussia Dortmund on their way to the quarter-finals.
In the An der Alten Försterei stadium, 30 kilometers away, Sheraldo Becker (45th) and substitute Andreas Voglsammer (75th) scored for Union on Tuesday evening. Daniel-Kofi Kyereh (21st) had given St. Pauli the lead, which can now fully concentrate on the promotion race in the 2nd division. Voglsammer hit the post in stoppage time (90+1).
“The little bit of luck was missing,” said St. Pauli’s captain Leart Paqarada in the “ARD” interview. “We were better and in the lead, but then two individual mistakes were severely punished. That’s a shame.”
Union set a high pace at the beginning and looked for the direct way forward. Coach Urs Fischer’s team pushed into the last third several times, but then remained too imprecise in their actions.
Kyereh hits the target with the first shot
The momentum of the first few minutes was lost as a result. The favorite Berliners had a surprisingly difficult time designing the game. Passes went nowhere, running paths were wrong, and there were hardly any gaps in the well-stocked Hamburg defense. The fast attackers Taiwo Awoniyi and Becker were hardly staged and sometimes had to drop far behind.
Defensively, Union was safe, but was promptly punished for one of the few dropouts. Timo Baumgartl brought down Kyereh in front of the penalty area. The Ghanaian turned the due free kick into the far corner. It was St. Pauli’s first shot on goal.
Medic slips, Voglsammer on the spot
The Berliners reacted, increased the pressure and had several opportunities in their best phase before the break. St. Pauli’s goalkeeper Dennis Smarsch was usually there, but made an unfortunate impression before the first goal was conceded: Smarsch, who was trained at Union city rivals Hertha BSC, slipped away when running out, Becker scored the deserved equaliser.
After the change of sides, the level of the encounter increasingly flattened out. Both teams largely neutralized each other in midfield. Union came closer to the opposing penalty area more often than St. Pauli – and again benefited from a slip by the guests. Before the second goal, St. Pauli’s Jakov Medic lost the stand, the way for Voglsammer was clear.