With their first European away win, 1. FC Union Berlin has made it into the group stage of the Conference League almost perfectly. Frenetically celebrated by the hundreds of fans who traveled to Finland, the Iron Kuopio PS in the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki finished 4-0 (3-0) in the playoff first leg of the new European Cup competition. Taiwo Awoniyi (7th / 31st minute), Max Kruse (29th) and substitute Andreas Voglsammer (90th + 2) scored the goals for the totally superior Bundesliga club.
The second leg next Thursday in the Berlin Olympic Stadium is only a matter of form after the clear result and the clear dominance. Union can plan for six more international appearances later this year. The group stage starts on September 16. The draw will take place in Istanbul on August 27, when Tottenham Hotspur, AS Roma or FC Basel face significantly more difficult opponents than the Finnish cup winners. Union will be challenged more in the Bundesliga at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on Sunday.
The clouds of fog from the pyro torches in the Union fans’ block, who were allowed to enter the stadium despite the UEFA guest ban, had just cleared in the rain-gray sky of Helsinki, when the Iron found the hoped-for early opening goal. As in the 1-1 draw against Leverkusen at the start of the Bundesliga, Awoniyi was there. The attacker steered a sharp cross from Tymoteusz Puchacz into the goal. Puchacz celebrated a successful competitive debut as an attacking left defender. Like Levin Öztunali, the Pole was called into the starting line-up for the first time by coach Urs Fischer.
Save strength for Hoffenheim
The Finns at least briefly indicated why Fischer had chosen words of warning. Hiding was out of the question for them. For this they were bitterly punished by Awoniyi and Kruse after about half an hour. Kruse, who actually had no desire for the small European Cup, successfully completed a counterattack with a low shot. He scored his last international club goal for VfL Wolfsburg six years ago in the Champions League against Manchester United.
The evening sun, which suddenly broke through, had long been shining into the stadium, when Awoniyi followed up from a short distance after a bad defensive mistake by the Finns. The party in the Union fan block had long been underway. Twenty years ago, in the only ever European Cup start, Union only drew in the UEFA Cup away at Haka Valkeakoski (1: 1) and Litex Lovetsch (0: 0).
There was no longer any doubt about the success in Helsinki early on. The Iron switched to an administrative mode very early on. Awoniyi (54th) missed the chance for a three-pack after Öztunali’s preparatory work quite lightly. For Kruse and Awoniyi it was over after an hour. Fischer brought Voglsammer and Sheraldo Becker – conserving strength for Hoffenheim was now more important. Voglsammer added again in stoppage time.