With Marco Reus returning, Borussia Dortmund also falls into the Eisern’s tactics trap in the Bundesliga top match. The gap to the top is huge for BVB.
Super Sunday for Union Berlin, bust weekend for Borussia Dortmund: With Marco Reus making his comeback, BVB also failed miserably at the puzzling Union code. Coach Edin Terzic’s team was beaten 0:2 (0:2) by the cheeky and ice-cold Berlin league leaders and loses sight of the top places in eighth place, seven points behind Union.
The Eisernen were a different story: Janik Haberer’s first goal of the game (8th/21st minute) enabled Union to extend their lead in the standings in front of 22,012 spectators at the sold-out Stadion an der Alten Försterei ahead of the clash between their pursuers FC Bayern München and SC Freiburg on Sunday evening. It should be clear to everyone by now at the latest: Coach Urs Fischer’s team, unbeaten in eleven league games at home, can longer be reckoned with at the top of the table. There is no end in sight to the Union saga.
Super Sunday. Union coach Urs Fischer had only a smile for this term about the double summit meeting in Berlin and Munich. The Swiss doesn’t like to lay it on so thick. But there was no question that this day was steeped in history for Köpenick anyway. Exactly 96 years ago, the journeyman shoemaker Friedrich Wilhelm Voigt marched into the town hall, a good kilometre from the Alte Försterei, in a captain’s uniform he had made up himself, in order to loot the town treasury. The Wuhlheide has long been known for its cheeky raids.
The Dortmund fans wondered shortly after kick-off whether that was really Gregor Kobel in their goalkeeper’s jersey. First, the Swiss goalkeeper let a rather harmless shot by Andras Schäfer (4th) bounce. Still without consequences. When he slipped a little later, Haberer only had to push the ball over the line.
As we all know, a lead like that is the best thing that can happen to Union. The crowd was there and Dortmund had to sort itself out. It seemed that they had just succeeded, when the next fast attack via Schäfer was successful. Jordan Siebatcheu passed to Haberer, who gave Kobel no chance with his low shot. The Eisern now stood securely in their beloved basic formation. The data providers recorded more than two-thirds possession for Dortmund shortly before half-time. Statistics can also be useless.
Terzic reacted with a triple change. Reus made his comeback four weeks after his ligament injury. With the captain’s armband on his arm, the 33-year-old constantly demanded the ball. Julian Brandt and Donyell Malen also came on for more assertiveness in the offensive. However, Union had the first good chances again. Kobel saved a header by Timo Baumgartl (55th). The ex-Union player Nico Schlotterbeck just saved from Schäfer (65).
Dortmund looked unimaginative and dismayed. Reus (77th) was stopped by Union goalkeeper Rönnow during a solo run. Youssoufa Moukoko (79./83.) did the same twice. The Berlin fans chanted “Only the FCU will be German champions”.
