1. FC Union Berlin has shaken off its Max Kruse complex.

After three defeats without scoring their own goal, the Irons achieved their first success since the noisy departure of their prominent attacker with a 3-1 (1-0) win over 1. FSV Mainz 05.

Genki Haraguchi (7th minute), Sheraldo Becker (56th) and Taiwo Awonyi (75th) scored the goals for the Berliners on Saturday in front of 10,000 spectators.

Delano Burgzorg only scored for Mainz in the 90th minute.

Coach Urs Fischer's team not only overtook Mainz, who had been defeated for the first time in three games, in the Bundesliga table, but also made an impressive comeback in the race for another place in the European Cup.

On Tuesday, Union will face FC St. Pauli in the quarter-finals of the cup before they meet Kruse again at VfL Wolfsburg next Saturday.

As in the first leg, Dominik Kohr (60th) was sent off for Mainz with a yellow-red card.

"Give peace a chance" by John Lennon and Yoko Ono was played in the musical pre-program in the stadium at the Alte Försterei.

A dove of peace was emblazoned on the scoreboard during the minute's silence for the victims in Ukraine.

On their usual mega banner on the back straight, however, the Union fans did without an anti-war message.

"Our trust goes to those who are there!" Instead, it was written in bold letters as a clear request to finally shed the Kruse era.

Haraguchi was part of the quintet that coach Urs Fischer called into the starting XI.

And the Japanese delivered early with his first league goal for the irons.

283 minutes without a goal were over for Union, so the two minutes that referee Bastian Dankert needed on the video screen to rule out Grischa Prömel being offside could also be endured.

Mainz found it difficult to accept the decision.

Goalkeeper Robin Zentner stormed in the direction of the center circle and had Dankert explain exactly what happened again.

Coach Bo Svensson just kept complaining and was cautioned again just a few weeks after being suspended.

The leadership fit into the classic Union concept.

Mainz was allowed to come, the Berliners relied on switching moments from the compact defensive organized by returnee Robin Knoche.

Since this tactic against the astonishingly unimaginative Mainz team worked for the hosts in moving backwards, the consequence for both sides up to the half-time break was: no more chances to score.

Fischer may have reminded his team that you can definitely do more when it comes to playing.

Union now came out of the cabin with offensive pressure and quickly rewarded themselves again.

Becker circled the ball artfully and powerfully from a good 20 meters on the chanceless hundredweight into the goal.

Shortly afterwards, Mainz had to continue playing decimated because Kohr, who had been cautioned twice within a few minutes, had to leave the field.

Substitute top striker Awoniyi followed up with his first Union goal in 2022, Burgzorg’s goal in the final minute was no longer relevant.