Rani Khedira and 1. FC Union Berlin were no match for the Bochum guests around Matus Bero (above) in the relegation battle on Sunday.
Photo: imago/Jan Huebner
An old motto was supposed to give the footballers of 1. FC Union new strength on Sunday: “With all force: stay in the league!” As was the case ten years ago, it was the title of the stadium magazine and was used by the club and fans in the run-up to the game against VfL Bochum spread across many channels. But because the Berliners only defended themselves against opponents and relegation with football violence for 45 minutes, the disillusionment after the final whistle was even greater: Union lost 3:4 (0:3) against their neighbor in the bottom of the table who had previously had the same number of points – and is big losers of the 32nd Bundesliga matchday in the relegation battle.
The duel in the An der Alten Försterei stadium, which was of course sold out with 22,000 spectators, was a reflection of the past few weeks. Union, with just three goals from their last eight games, failed to put their opponents under pressure. The Berliners only came dangerously in front of the opponent’s goal once in the first half: defender Diogo Leite’s header after a free kick from Josip Juranović in the 34th minute was easy prey for guest goalkeeper Manuel Riemann.
Even Union’s strength, defense, suffered from the visibly great insecurity caused by a lack of success. The news that spread in the media during the week that the Köpenickers want to part ways with coach Nenad Bjelica after the season certainly doesn’t make the situation any easier. And there is also the pressure from victories by competitors in the relegation battle. One of them: Bochum. After the change of coach, VfL with Heiko Butscher had at least four points from the last three games.
The Bochum team brought this regained self-confidence onto the pitch in Berlin right from the start – and deservedly took the lead after a dominant opening quarter of an hour. By winning the ball after a goal kick from Union and two passes, VfL easily exposed Berlin’s left side of the defense, with Maximilian Wittek making it 0-1 in the 16th minute. Another quarter of an hour later, Wittek silenced all the red and whites completely: unchallenged, the midfielder completed an individual action in Union’s penalty area with a well-placed shot into the short right corner to make it 0-2.
“Wake up” and “fight” – that’s what Union’s fans now demanded of their team. It remained unheard of, a shot from Kevin Volland over the Bochum goal and Leite’s header were all they managed offensively. Only VfL continued to play and Keven Schlotterbeck’s 3-0 lead in the 37th minute caused sheer horror on the Berlin bench. Stunned, Bjelica and his coaching team asked the players to do something, at least to defend themselves. However, nothing more happened until the half-time whistle.
After all: 1. FC Union won the second half of this game. And that can give hope for the two remaining games at 1. FC Köln and against SC Freiburg. The Berliners scored three goals after the restart: Substitutes Yorbe Vertessen and Chris Bedia tied the score with goals in the 59th and 62nd minutes. Union’s next goal celebration was still not a cry of redemption: Because Bochum’s Philipp Hofmann had scored in the 71st minute, Benedict Hollerbach was only able to reduce the score to 3-4 four minutes later. While VfL celebrated their second win in a row with their fans just as wildly after a wild second half, the Unioners certainly need some time to process this defeat.
Become a member of the nd.Genossenschaft!
Since January 1, 2022, the »nd« will be published as an independent left-wing newspaper owned by the staff and readers. Be there and support media diversity and visible left-wing positions as a cooperative member. Fill out the membership form now.
More information on www.dasnd.de/genossenschaft