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Union cements supremacy in Berlin football: The Hydra from Köpenick

2022-08-06T16:42:52.717Z


Again top performers left the ship, again Union Berlin continues as if nothing had happened. Access Jordan Pefok is particularly convincing in the city duel, Hertha trainer Sandro Schwarz warns of a “doom and gloom”.


Enlarge image

Jordan Pefok: Compensated for the departure of Taiwo Awoniyi without any start-up problems

Photo: IMAGO/Sebastian Räppold/Matthias Koch / IMAGO/Matthias Koch

Air Jordan:

Union Berlin loses its top performers every year.

This summer, too, there was a rebuild, including replacing top scorer Taiwo Awoniyi, who had moved to Nottingham.

A task for Theoson-Jordan Siebatcheu Pefok: The US international, who grew up in France and has roots in Cameroon, had earned the nickname "Air Jordan" with the Bernese Young Boys - and also lived up to it in Berlin.

The header to 1-0 against Hertha BSC after a cross from Sheraldo Becker could not have been placed better (31st minute).

"Siebatcheu" shouldn't be congratulated on his Bundesliga debut goal.

Dear "Pefok", Union's number 45 has a far better relationship with his mother's maiden name (which he also announces on Twitter).

Or just »Jordan«:

The result:

the Berlin city championship is going to Köpenick almost as a matter of routine this six-month period.

3: 1 (1: 0) Union prevailed at home against Hertha.

Here is the match report.

The first half:

Urs Fischer's "Eiserne" started with the self-confidence of the favorites, Hertha found themselves in the first league game under coach Sandro Schwarz in the role of trying to prevent goals.

Again and again, Union made space on the wings and then had two options: the low pass to the well-occupied backcourt or the cross towards Pefok, which ultimately also brought the lead.

Best Hertha player: Oliver Christensen, after the departures of Alexander Schwolow and home-grown Marcel Lotka, the new number one in goal for West Berlin and, last but not least, on the post when Julian Ryerson (27th) shot from long-range.

Stack low, win high:

During the half-time break, Union President Dirk Zingler commented on the sporting status quo.

And for the fifth of the previous season, who had easily played the city rivals against the wall for 45 minutes and with a shot on goal ratio of eleven to one, he gave a remarkable goal for the season: "It remains the same: We want to keep the class," said Zingler.

»Getting 40 points in this league is a huge challenge.«

They are into it:

This season, the 17 Bundesliga games at the Alte Försterei are likely to include one or two games in the Europa League.

During the Conference League last year, the Unioners had to switch to the Olympic Stadium due to a lack of capacity.

Because Uefa is again allowing standing room in selected countries in the European Cup, this should no longer be necessary this season.

"We will most likely be allowed to play the games in the stadium at the old forester," said Zingler happily.

With 18,395 standing places and a stadium capacity of only 22,012, the Köpenick stadium experience has more standing places than anywhere else in the Bundesliga.

The second half:

Janik Haberer is another name that illustrates the self-healing powers of the Union squad.

If the eleven-headed Hydra from Köpenick loses a top performer like Grischa Prömel from new Hoffenheim, a free transfer agent in his mid-twenties will be found on the transfer market, who will seamlessly close the gap.

Haberer's fine chip into Sheraldo Becker's run made it 2-0 (50'), Robin Knoche's VAR-checked header after a corner sealed the Hertha defeat (54').

The fact that Dodi Lukebakio scored the consolation goal in a moment of individual class (85th) remained a cosmetic result.

Black does not want to see black just yet:

Hertha received the next blow to the neck directly a week after the cup was eliminated on penalties against Braunschweig.

"It is extremely important not to let a mood of doom arise now," explained coach Sandro Schwarz - it is significant that such warnings can be heard after the first day of the season, after a season with four coaches and the rescue in the relegation but probably not surprising.

At this early stage of the season, it was not yet clear where Schwarz would like to develop the team.

Schwarz saw very clearly what went wrong: “That was not enough in terms of intensity and duel strength.”

Source: spiegel

All sports articles on 2022-08-06

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