Union Hold Mainz to a 1-1 Draw

1. FC Union and FSV Mainz 05 played out an excellent, intense 1-1 draw in the devastating heat of the carnival capital in Saturday afternoon. Having gone a goal down to Nadiem Amiri’s 53^rd minute opener, László Bénes opened his account for Union with the equaliser in the 74^th minute

1. FC Union Berlin: Rönnow – Trimmel (72. Haberer), Doekhi, Vogt (83. Querfeld), Leite, Gosens – Tousart (65. Vertessen), Khedira, Schäfer (72. Bénes) – Hollerbach (72. Skarke), Siebatcheu

1. FSV Mainz 05: Zentner – Kohr, Leitsch (31. Bell), Hanche-Oslen – Caci (85. Nebel), Sano (86. Weiper), Amiri, Mwene – Onisiwo (76. Sieb), J.-S. Lee – Burkardt

The starting XI

Bo Svensson started his first league match in charge of Union with Frederick Rönnow in goal, behind the reassuringly familiar back three of Diogo Leite, Kevin Vogt and Danilho Doekhi. Robin Gosens and Christopher Trimmel were given the flanks, left and right respectively, either side of a midfield pairing of Rani Khedira and Lucas Tousart. Jordan Siebatcheu was joined by Benedict Hollerbach and Andras Schäfer up front.

Attendance: 31 500

Goals: 1-0 Amiri (53.), 1-1 Bénes (74.)

A goalless half in blistering temperatures

This time last year Union kicked off their Bundesliga season away at Mainz, but with Bo Svensson in the home dug out, a game that Union, of course, won convincingly, 4-1. But it’s funny how things change in football, it can be the most unremittingly, unforgivingly forward moving of sports, but if anything, this resembled not so much that encounter, but – certainly for the first half – more the game here the goalless draw the previous year, when the thermometers were fit to bursting.

The sunshine was brutal here in the MEWA Arena on the season’s starter, just as it was back then, but if that one looked like it could have been played for a hundred days without anyone scoring, this took on a wholly new character in the second half. Both sides ran themselves into the ground in the pursuit of a winner.

Svensson said afterwards how he knew that it would be an intense game, but beforehand how little he would allow his focus to be taken from his current task on his return to the club he had served so well. Indeed, Union started brightly, with Benedict Hollerbach, typically full of running, trying to carve out an opening down the inside right after only two minutes played.

But it was a battle from the off, and he continued, saying “that in the first half both sides balanced each other out.”

Rani Khedira got a tough challenge in on Maxim Leitsch early, just to let him know he was there, and when Kaishu Sano dared to try to enter the Union box, Danilho Doekhi and Diogo Leite were both there to shoo the ball away with all the required menace. Phillipp Mwene caught Lucas Tousart in a similar manner to that of Khedira on Leitsch, but this one was higher up on the thigh. He winced in pain.

Dominik Kohr then went in on Schäfer straight afterwards, getting a yellow card after only six minutes played. No-one was giving an inch. Union had a free kick that Trimmel took, but it was cleared without causing too much danger.

At the other end, Rönnow – who had an excellent day – did well to punch clear a dangerous cross from the right, Jonathan Burkardt, looming, as he’d hold Anthony Caci’s long throw with significantly more ease after 25 minutes. He then was ready as Sano’s shot took a flick off the lunging boot of Gosens, and out for another corner, while at the other end both Schäfer and Khedira saw shots parried away.

Jordan, leading the line, looked to have turned Leitsch after 15 minutes, but shrugged off the defender’s attentions when he could have made more of the tugging on his shirt, the ball running just too far ahead of him. Hollerbach then couldn’t get hold of his own shot as it dropped onto his right foot after a series of headers in the middle of the pitch, the ball spending as much time in the air as it did on the ground for a moment.

It wasn’t necessarily pretty, but was utterly gripping, with neither side buckling from the heat or the pressure.

Jae Sung Lee then had a huge chance after Karim Onisiwo’s superb cross from the right, but while he seemed to have the height on his jump to take his free header, his timing was just out, and the ball flicked off the Korean’s forehead tamely.

Neither side threatened too much after that, but Gosens was a constant whir of energy on the left, and he almost played Hollerbach in with half an hour played, his ball hit perfectly, but Dominik Kohr came across in the nick of time. Kohr then seemed to pull Leite to the ground from the ensuing corner, when Robin Zentner had to punch clear as the box was reduced to a sea of flailing, tumbling limbs. He had to do so again two minutes later, fisting the ball out of the sky as Vogt looked to beat him in the air.

It then took a wonderful tackle from Doekhi to stop Phillipp Mwene as he hit the byline down the left-hand side; Rönnow cleared the corner with substitute, Steffen Bell, and Andreas Hanche-Olson both joining him in going for the ball. Onisiwo and Leite then tussled just outside the box, both with as much on each other as the other.

The picture of them both, fists full of shirt, almost summed up the half, until Hollerbach had the best shot of the day for the guests, beating Burkardt, and forcing Zentner to tip his drive over the bar acrobatically.

Gosens, superb all day, hit another dangerous low ball towards the near post, and Union won their sixth corner of the day, but again Trimmel’s set-piece couldn’t escape the bedlam in the box.

Tousart got a yellow card for a foul on Burkardt as the three minutes added on were over. Amiri whipped the ball in, but Burkardt, sneaking in around the back of the wall, couldn’t get his shot on target.

The players left the pitch, dripping. The tie was goalless so far.

Amiri’s wonder free kick is balanced out by Bénes’ brilliance

Mainz had the first effort of the second half as Onisiwo blazed one over the bar first time, having been superbly fed by Burkard’s knock-down from just outside the D. He had seen another header fly just over before the break, he was dangerous, and was involved as Mwene played a one-two, ending in a shot that Rönnow did well to parry.

Union’s number one did even better from the corner that followed, as it looked to suddenly be dipping underneath his bar. Then, when Caci lofted a deep cross in from the right, the Dane not only held it firmly in both hands but was aware enough to keep it from going out for another corner.

But Mainz were now in the ascendancy as the half went through its early phases, and again Onisiwo was involved, this time drawing a necessary foul from Doekhi, 25 yards out. He had little choice, but it would lead to the opener for the hosts.

Amiri took a few steps back and looked up. He struck it superbly, leaving Rönnow for dead, as he chipped the ball over the wall, bending away from the keeper, and into the back of the net. Mainz were ahead.

Union were chasing shadows; Burkardt and Onisiwo at the heart of everything, and after 64 minutes Svensson brought on Yorbe Vertessen for Lucas Tousart, memories strong of his wonderful goal a week ago in the cup at Greifswald. But Mainz were standing firm, and it would be another change that would make the difference. His first dribble was ended perfunctorily by Sano, while Hollerbach’s next was stopped by Bell.

They went into the pause for drinks wondering where their own break would come from, and Svensson immediately rolled his dice once more, this time bringing on Tim Skarke, Janik Haberer and László Bénes for Schäfer, Trimmel and Hollerbach

And just as his substitutions had worked last week, they did so again here. It is as if they are charmed.

Union had advanced patiently, unerringly, the ball coming all the way from Rönnow originally, until it made its way as far as Skarke, taking the ball from Gosens. He laid it off for Bénes, who turned superbly, rolling the ball with the outside of his right, anticlockwise, and let fly with the same boot. The ball took a slight deflection on the way, but with practically his first touch, in his league debut, he had dragged Union back into the game.

Rani Khedira smiled through the sweat on his face when he looked back on it after the final whilstle. “When I look at the 90 minutes,” he said, “I’m satisfied. Even after going behind, we did well, didn’t lose our heads and rightly came back. Everyone who came on today made us better again and I’m also pleased for Laszlo.”

It was a fantastic finish to a beautifully worked goal. Suddenly the game took on a whole new dimension, and within minutes Jordan was well stopped by Zentner as he tried to lift the ball over him, and Doekhi almost steered another chance goalwards. Vertessen then took too long when Skarke found him in the box.

Svensson then brought on Leopold Querfeld for the injured Vogt, and again the new man was almost immediately involved, setting up Bénes, whose shot was tipped brilliantly over the bar by a flying Zentner.

There were seven minutes added on, but whereas two years ago both sides looked like they were ready to roll over and die, this time they continued to go full pelt; Armindo Sieb put his volley into the ground and over the bar when he had been found by Amiri as Mainz once again looked to hit back, but that was nothing as to the chance that Burkardt put over the goal with 94 minutes played, and Rönnow out of the picture having parried Sieb’s stabbed shot.

Or when Bénes flashed a harder header over when Gosens crossed from the left, having won the ball through sheer determination alone.

But finally, the whistle blew to end a tumultuous, excellent game. It may have been an emotional return to his old home for Svensson. But it brought him a point that was worth all the sweat that had gone into it.