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A 1-1 draw, celebrated like a victory: Union Berlin are out of the downward spiral
Photo: ALBERTO PIZZOLI / AFP
A point to straighten up: Der September? Only defeats. October? Only defeats. Out of the cup, 16th place in the league, coach Urs Fischer more than counted: Union Berlin desperately needed a sense of achievement. The body language already showed how necessary: There was Aïssa Laïdouni, who held the ball alone against several Italians in the 51st minute and shrugged his shoulders apologetically when he could only play the back pass into the defense due to a lack of support. Then Union equalised, and with the point in mind, Paul Jaeckel celebrated a slide in the 85th minute as if he had just scored a goal. "We talked to each other a lot, tried to push each other off the pitch as well," said Christopher Trimmel after the game. The certainty that they will still be able to hold their own against top international opponents could be an initial spark for the Köpenick team.
The result: Union Berlin drew 1-1 (0-1) at SSC Napoli, it was the first point since a 4-1 win at Darmstadt 98 on 26 August. Click here for the match report.
Luxury Problems: In addition to Union's run of twelve defeats in a row, Napoli look like a model club. It has been simmering more than once this season: champion coach Luciano Spalletti is now the Italian national coach, his French successor Rudi Garcia had already been publicly counted out by club boss Aurelio de Laurentiis after mediocre results. Star striker Victor Osimhen was kept in the summer, but was then mocked by his own club on TikTok and is currently out with a thigh injury. After all, with nine points from the last four competitive games, the form curve is right.
Ridicule for the star: The great irony of Berlin's misery is that the squad is probably the most talented in Union's club history. Where the strategy used to be to give underestimated second-division veterans a second spring, Kevin Volland, Robin Gosens and Leonardo Bonucci moved to Köpenick in the summer. European champion Bonucci has now returned to Italy for the first time – where the former Juventus player felt the ridicule of the Napoli tifosi. They had postered Bonucci's portrait next to an effigy of Leonardo da Vinci – with the inscription "Leonardo da Perdi", replacing the Italian term for winning with that for losing.
Coincidence and how to help it: The first half offered Napoli dominance, but above all a lot of tackles and a lot of chaos in the Berlin penalty area. Natan headed against the post (24'), a header by André-Frank Zambo Anguissa was disallowed by referee Danny Makkelie due to a support in the creation of the goal (30'). But constant dripping hollowed out the stone, so that a sharp cross from Mário Ruis was deflected by Josip Juranović in such a way that Mateo Politano could not help but run into the ball and push it into the goal (39'). Offensively, Union also threw themselves into every scene with a lot of physical effort, but little precision. Janik Haberer won a free-kick, which Juranović hit the post with Berlin's best chance (45'+7').
Learned: So far, little has gone right for David Datro Fofana at Union. The striker, on loan from Chelsea, shone in pre-season, but failed to score in competitive matches. This frustrated Fofana so much in the first leg against Napoli that he refused to shake hands and make eye contact with coach Urs Fischer when he was substituted. The apology followed promptly, but so did a one-week suspension. "I hope the boy learns from situations like this," Fischer said afterwards – and Fofana learned: he ran onto a long ball from Roussillon, served strike partner Sheraldo Becker and was on hand with the follow-up shot when Napoli keeper Alex Meret blocked Becker's shot (52').
Cool guys don't watch explosions: Passion on the pitch is just as much a part of the brand essence for both clubs as passion in the stands. This sometimes produces unpleasant results, as evidenced by the arrests of rioting German fans before the game, as evidenced by the numerous firecrackers that detonated in the stands during the game. Union veteran Christopher Trimmel took it in stride: "It's all good, I don't think anyone was hurt," said the Austrian. "Of course one is frightened, but that's what I assumed in Naples."
Bayer Stations of the Cross: Of course, all is not well in Berlin after the point. Progression in the Champions League is no longer possible, against Sporting Braga it is only a matter of surviving the winter in the Europa League. And in the league, the situation remains precarious. On Sunday (15:30 CEST), they travel to league leaders Bayer Leverkusen – probably the most difficult task possible before the international break, which can be regarded as a predetermined breaking point for coaching changes.