Players and fans of 1. FC Union were able to celebrate twice against Real Madrid.
Photo: imago/nogueirafoto
“FC Union international” one last time. The song with which the Köpenickers have toured Europe for the third year now became their farewell song on Tuesday evening – when the fans in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium celebrated the team after the 2-3 defeat against Real Madrid. With the defeat in the last group game of the Champions League, the possible qualification for the second round of the Europa League was lost. In his last appearance on the international football stage, Union coach Nenad Bjelica recognized positive signs for the future: “If we play as a team, we can beat any opponent.”
1. FC Union didn’t win a single game in the premier class. With a win against Real, the Berliners would have hibernated in the Europa League; Naples had created the conditions for this with the 2-0 win against Braga. And success on Tuesday evening against the record winners of the Champions League was definitely possible. Sure, Madrid dominated the game and created significantly more chances – but Union was leading at halftime. Because the Köpenick team had once again defended passionately and were able to punish their opponents’ mistakes. Kevin Volland coolly used one of them shortly before the half-time whistle to make it 1-0.
What was particularly remarkable was how stable Union remained despite the great pressure from the opposition. Goalkeeper Frederik Rönnow prevented several great chances, including a saved penalty, but the goals conceded to take the lead were still somewhat unfortunate in the second half. When Joselu equalized, the referee and video referee could have seen a foul on the goal scorer’s part. The other two goals conceded, again by Joselu and Dani Ceballos, were preceded by unnecessary ball losses by Berlin in their own attacking game. And so 1. FC Union now joins the ranks of the worst German clubs in the Champions League with just two points from six group games. But the Köpenickers are in good company there too: FC Bayern only had two draws in 2002 and Borussia Dortmund in 2017.
Now the Royals and the premier class are taboo topics. “We can’t talk about Real Madrid anymore,” demanded Bjelica late on Tuesday evening in the Olympic Stadium. Although the coach would have liked to travel through Europe for longer, he expressed the good thing about the elimination convincingly: “We now have the absolute focus on the Bundesliga.” Given the relegation battle with 15th place in the Bundesliga, the European exit can be helpful. Ultimately, the difficult balancing act between the stated goal of staying in the league for the season and the most prestigious club competition was also a point where successful coach Urs Fischer failed.
Urs Fischer’s successor has sat on Union’s coaching bench three times so far. After the 1-1 draw in Braga, he was able to immediately end the series of 16 games without a win with a 3-1 win against Borussia Mönchengladbach last weekend. Bjelica assessed the defeat against Madrid just as positively: “We played good football in the last two games.” After “three goals in the Bundesliga and two against Real, we can go into the next games with confidence.”
On Saturday the Berliners have to go to Bochum, four days later 1. FC Cologne comes to the Alte Försterei. With two wins against the two basement children, Union could gain some breathing room in the relegation battle before the short winter break. And Bjelica gives even more hope for the new year: “If we have a little more time to train, we will be even better.” So far, the coach and his team have rushed from game to game; In the second half of the season, neither the national cup nor international dates distract from the core business.
What has been seen of Bjelica in the short time so far is convincing. Apparently it quickly got into the minds of the players; there is no longer any sign of a psyche that has been cracked by the negative series on the pitch. And so on Tuesday evening the coach also praised the strength of character of his team, which not only dealt well with the great pressure from the opponent, but was even able to equalize to make it 2-2 thanks to Alex Kral.
Like Fischer, Bjelica can also rely on the players’ willingness to suffer. Against Madrid, the Berliners ran eight kilometers more than their opponents. With his new tactical approaches, the Croatian brings out lost and previously hidden strengths. Against Gladbach, Union defended with a back four, while against Real there were five defenders in the back row. The team under Fischer did not have this variability, but his system was successful over a long period of time. Bjelica is also flexible when it comes to deploying his players: While national player Robin Gosens worked on the left side under his predecessor, Jerome Roussillon mostly just sat on the bench. Bjelica lets both play, with success.
New signing Kevin Volland also didn’t find a place in the Fischer system. The former national player thrives under Bjelica – as a constant source of trouble, provider of assists and goalscorer. And in “different positions,” as his coach praises: “I’m happy to have a player like Kevin on the team.”
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