Football: Bundesliga: Union Berlin is in danger of falling into the abyss

An explosion of emotions shook the Cologne district of Müngersdorf on Saturday. In the final phase of the relegation summit between 1. FC Köln and 1. FC Union Berlin, the stadium was turned upside down: with unbridled fighting spirit, the hosts were actually able to turn a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 win.

The change of coach in Köpenick initially brought nothing. The new Union coach Marco Grote had exuded a lot of optimism in the days before the match. Together with his assistants Marie-Louise Eta and Sebastian Bönig, the U19 coach was given the task of staying in the league for Nenad Bjelica, who was dismissed last Monday. After Cologne’s decisive goal for the entire club, Grote remains in a positive mood: “I won’t stop. I’m still up for it. I’m looking forward to the game against Freiburg. We will use the days. I still believe in the quality of this team,” explained the 51-year-old.

Negative series

His new team has now been without a win for seven matches. In just under two months, since matchday 26, they have gambled away a nine-point lead over the relegation spot. Union has now fallen back to this, also because 1. FSV Mainz 05 triumphed 3-0 against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday evening. After reaching the final of the Champions League and having already secured qualification for the premier class, BVB no longer seems to attach so much importance to the Bundesliga.

Things could have turned out differently for 1. FC Union in Cologne. A header from Robin Knoche, who replaced the ailing defense chief Kevin Vogt in the starting line-up, and a penalty goal from Kevin Volland led to a solid 2-0 lead after 20 minutes after two set pieces for Berlin. But with a penalty from captain Florian Kainz, the hosts managed to catch up shortly before half-time and brought them back into the game.

Expectations

Union Berlin had a few counterattack opportunities in the second half, which Benedict Hollerbach miserably missed in the 83rd minute and Andras Schäfer in added time. Previously, Robin Gosens had hit the crossbar after a corner from captain Christopher Trimmel in the 67th minute. But overall there wasn’t enough from the Berliners in the second half. The injury-related retirement of midfield boss Rani Khedira after 45 minutes, who caused the penalty to make it 1-2, and Trimmel in the 72nd minute obviously could not be compensated for.

Jerome Roussillon, who was back in the starting line-up for the first time since the beginning of March after recovering from an injury, may have been brought in too early. His left thigh closed after an hour when he took a shot without any opposition. And: The strikers Benedict Hollerbach and Chris Bedia, who came on after 54 minutes, are currently lacking not only the quality for the Bundesliga, but also their attitude. When the Cologne team attacked, they sometimes just trotted along. Bedia received a lecture from Grote on the sidelines. »It was my expectation that he would take charge, get connected and switch. That was too slow for me. I explained that to him in English, Jerome Roussillon added in French,” the coach later explained.

Relegation calculation

All in all, the Union’s flaws led to a shocking defeat. Cologne substitutes Steffen Tigges and Damion Downs struck decisively with their goals to equalize and secure a 3-2 victory 180 seconds before the end of regulation or in the third minute of stoppage time. The joy in Cologne-Müngersdorf now knew no bounds – on the pitch and among the 45,000 FC fans among the 50,000 spectators.

Many supporters of the traditional club, which like Union has been playing in the Bundesliga since 2019, had expected direct relegation after dreary weeks. Now relegation can still be achieved on the last match day, when Cologne plays in Heidenheim next Saturday. »I am incredibly proud that we continued to believe in it. The audience was there again. They picked up the spark that we lit,” said Cologne coach Timo Schultz.

Gift

At Union, on the other hand, there was sheer horror at the missed opportunity, as in the previous week in the 3:4 home defeat against VfL Bochum, to do sporting damage to a direct competitor. Union’s back is against the wall before the home game against SC Freiburg: in the event of a defeat and a simultaneous win for Cologne, even the goal difference, which is currently three goals better, might not be enough.

With the danger of direct relegation in mind, the club’s environment in Cologne tried to look ahead. Head of communications Christian Arbeit ran onto the pitch after the final whistle and asked players who were crouching on the ground to get back up. The Ultras spoke to the players inside. »In the end there is still a chance that we will stay in class. After a season like this it would also be a gift. We have to pool our strengths and stay positive,” said captain Trimmel: “We had a really good exchange with the fan scene. You’ve already got us in the mood a bit. We can only do it together.” Otherwise the season in which the Iron Men played in the Champions League will end with a fall into the abyss – relegation to the 2nd Bundesliga for the first time.