If Urs Fischer and his assistant Markus Hoffmann should one day wonder whether anyone else loves them, all they will have to do is pull out a panoramic photo. The panoramic picture that was taken on Saturday in the An der Alten Försterei stadium.
It wasn’t just the ultras who bowed once again to the coach who had just been fired, they had made a big tifo: “Thank you, Urs & Hoffi. You have realized dreams that we never actually had,” could be read on this choreography . On all the stands, supporters pulled out posters saying that Fischer will “always be one of us,” a “Petri Heil” because he is known to be an angler, or even just a simple: Thank you.
If there were points for sentimentality, Union would have left the relegation zone on Saturday. But: they just don’t exist. What there was, at least, was the first Bundesliga point since it was still summer in Berlin. Because in the 88th minute Kevin Volland secured a 1-1 draw against FC Augsburg. This means that Union is only second to last in the Bundesliga table – one point ahead of 1. FC Köln.
Better take another look, colleague, reports the Cologne Keller
The first game after the five and a half year Fischer era was also the Bundesliga premiere for the U19 coaching team: Marco Grote and Marie-Louise Eta, who had been installed as an interim solution. As announced, they actually didn’t mix everything up: the difference to Fischer’s style wasn’t a question of day and night. Rather, they may have felt like Fischer did recently.
For example, when defense chief Robin Knoche missed a penalty, which the referee only awarded after persuasion from the video referee (VAR). But in the end they were able to be happy about a unified team performance and a clear improvement in their team’s performance after the break. And at the same time we were surprised by referee Florian Badstübner’s strange decision-making.
In the first half, the referee did a lot to increase the emotionality of the encounter. Especially in the 39th minute, when he instinctively awarded a penalty after a challenge from Robin Gosens and Arne Engels. However, the nature of football as a contact sport was questioned, which is why the Cologne cellar got in touch – with the order: Better watch it again, colleague!
After the game, national player Gosens struggled with the fact that he had taken such a high risk in the scene. Arne Engels was played on the edge of the penalty area and Gosens hit the ball first in his impetuous attempt to defend, but also hit the opponent. Whatever the case: Ermedin Demirovic made it 1-0 – and multiplied the weight of Köpenick’s thoughts.
Augsburg’s lead at half-time is definitely okay
It was tangible in the first half – no wonder after 13 defeats and one draw up to that point. Not that the Köpenickers didn’t have any chances, on the contrary, they started the game very well. But after Kevin Behrens (10th/27th) and David Fofana (45th + 2) failed twice, the Augsburgers were more confident and self-confident. Augsburg’s lead at half-time was definitely okay.
After the break, however, the dynamics of the game changed. The Unioners were now more compact and more playful approaches shone through than at the beginning. Another change compared to the first half: Augsburg was no longer able to stop the hosts’ combinations through aggressive and, above all, early pressing. After the penalty awarded by Knoche (58′) and a header goal from Gosens (63′) which was rightly disallowed for offside, coach Grote gradually brought in fresh offensive players: the fast Jérome Roussillon and Josip Juranovic for the flanks and Mikkel Kaufmann and Benedict Hollberbach for the front Front.
The equalizing goal was scored by former national player Kevin Volland, who was allowed to play from the start for the first time in a long time – and found his way into the game just in time. In the 88th minute he hit the goal flat after a header from Knoche. “A step has been taken, a step in the right direction,” said Grote after his first Bundesliga game: “It should continue like this.” It is certain that things will continue for him and Eta for the time being: on Wednesday in Braga (Portugal) in the Champions League and then probably also in Munich at FC Bayern.