Iron men “rightly go down”
Desperate Union captain is “mad about everything”
December 16, 2023, 8:59 p.m
Nothing has come of the gentle upward trend: Union Berlin is facing the next setback in the fight to stay in the Bundesliga – of all places against direct competition from Bochum. The captain then finds clear words and worries about Christmas.
The players of 1. FC Union Berlin stood in front of the visitors’ corner for minutes. After the partly desolate 0:3 (0:1) at VfL Bochum, the fans gave the Köpenickers encouraging applause, then Eisern Union shouts rang through the Ruhrstadion. The support was good for the players after they slipped into the relegation zone in the Bundesliga. They did not obscure the view of reality.
Captain Rani Khedira in particular found clear words. “If you don’t stick to the positions as agreed, it will be difficult,” said the 29-year-old. They went down quite rightly. “It shouldn’t happen to us. This shouldn’t happen to us,” Khedira said. When asked if he was angry with some of his teammates, the midfielder said: “No, I’m angry with everything. If you end up with ten points, you can’t be happy. Then you can’t be happy. Then you can’t get in Celebrate Christmas in peace.”
Instead of continuing the slight upward trend and overtaking their direct rivals in the fight to stay in the league with a win, the Köpenickers are now six points behind VfL. At almost no point was Union able to match the performance of the 3-1 win against Borussia Mönchengladbach the previous week.
Bochum was “much better than us”
Four days after the Champions League farewell against Real Madrid (2:3), the surprise team from the previous season appeared harmless at the front and vulnerable at the back. Takuma Asano (45th + 5), Gonçalo Paciência (54th) and Kevin Stöger (78th / penalty) scored the goals for the hosts on Saturday. Bochum was highly superior. Bjelica also recognized this. “They were much better than us today,” said the 52-year-old. “More poisonous, faster, stronger in duels. That’s why they won.” Bjelica also said: “They were always half a meter faster than us.”
There was initially mostly silence in the stands at the start of the game in protest against a DFL investor deal. Things started off at a high pace on the pitch. After a cross from Cristian Gamboa, Stöger narrowly missed making it 1-0 for Bochum (3rd). VfL in particular got into the game well and gained ever greater advantages. However, after twelve minutes, referee Sven Jablonski had to interrupt the game.
Union fans threw tennis balls onto the pitch, causing a four-minute break. Chocolate coins also flew onto the lawn – Bochum’s offensive player Asano opened one and ate it. The interruption did not upset the hosts. Bochum remained more dangerous and failed to take advantage of several good opportunities. On the other side, Janik Haberer had the first real chance for the guests after more than half an hour. Bochum’s defender Keven Schlotterbeck cleared just before the line. Shortly before the half-time whistle, Asano scored to give Bochum a deserved lead. After VfL’s second goal at the latest, Berlin’s resistance was broken. Union no longer had anything to oppose it.
The Berliners only have ten points after 14 games. In 2022/23 there were 27 after the same number of games. “We all know the situation,” said central defender Robin Knoche. “If you’re not aware of this yet, you should start doing it as soon as possible.”