A point that helps everyone
Union suffers and misses the late lucky punch
04/16/2023, 7:31 p.m
On the 28th match day of the Bundesliga, Union Berlin hoarded a point in the race for a place in the Champions League while VfL Bochum kept the distance to the relegation zone. Union is expanding an impressive home series.
At the anniversary of coach Urs Fischer, 1. FC Union Berlin missed a big step towards the Champions League. In the coach’s 200th competitive game on the sidelines, the Irons only drew 1-1 (1-0) against VfL Bochum on Sunday. Josip Juranovic (45th + 3 minutes) gave the hosts the lead in the stadium at the Alte Försterei with a free kick goal worth seeing. Kevin Stöger (55th) scored the compensation for the district club with a penalty kick.
In the final phase, Berliners still struggled for the winning goal despite being outnumbered after the yellow-red card for Paul Jaeckel (62nd). After all, the impressive series of unbeaten home games could be extended to 20 games. With the draw, Union again overtook RB Leipzig for third place in the Bundesliga, but with 52 points they are only one point ahead of the Saxons and two over SC Freiburg, which is fifth beyond the premier class ranks. Bochum was able to extend the lead over the relegation zone to three points thanks to the bravely fought-for point in 15th place.
Tough anniversary game for fishermen
Fischer had expected a lot of “sharpness” in the duel with the Revierklub. As the Swiss had hoped, his team got off to a good start. Rani Khedira was just prevented from scoring by an opponent during the first attack. Danilho Doekhi’s attempt from the following corner went over the bar. The Dutchman had another chance shortly after, but the shot was too weak. Bochum’s ingredients for an attractive early evening of football were limited. Ambitions to score their own goals were initially put on the back burner. In the Bochum defense, ex-Unioner Keven Schlotterbeck (12th) had to leave early with a suspected knee injury, Dominique Heintz, who is currently on loan from Berlin, came in for him.
Since the Berliners struggled against the physicality of VfL, the game got tough. Kevin Behrens, who worked hard as a target player in a duel with Bochum’s blocker Ivan Ordets, headed wide (20′). Fischer seemed quite restless, almost annoyed. After a verbatim dispute with referee Tobias Stieler about an obviously wrong throw-in decision, the coach worked with his hands and feet on a large, cleared piece of grass directly in front of his coaching bench.
Anger about penalty and dismissal
A little later, not far from the patched green, Jerome Roussillon (37′) tried to cross, which had an accident and became dangerous as a result. The waving of the all clear from VfL goalkeeper Manuel Riemann was in any case premature. The ball hit the crossbar. The Unioners needed a lucky shot – and they got it. In injury time, Juranovic took a free kick from a central position from around 25 meters and curled the ball over the Bochum Wall into the goal.
Bochum now had to do more. And look, they did more. Patrick Osterhage (47th) put a kind of warning shot just outside the goal corner. A rather clumsy entry from Aïssa Laïdouni against Ordets led to Stieler’s undisputed penalty. Stöger shot in to equalize. Fischer’s mood got even worse when Jaeckel received a yellow-red card for a second clumsy foul. The Union’s celebration of an alleged own goal by Riemann (66th) after a shot by Behrens was worthless. The video referee decreed an offside position. Shortly before the end, Behrens had another chance to win (85′).