Union Draw With La Real 1-1

1. FC Union Berlin played out an excellent 1-1 draw against Real Sociedad on Friday evening in front of a near packed house at the Alte Försterei. A deserved lead was taken in the first half through Robin Gosens’ well taken finish.

1. FC Union Berlin: Rönnow – Haberer (55. Rothe), Doekhi, Vogt (86. Jaeckel), Leite (64. Querfeld), Gosens (76. Preu) – Tousart, Schäfer (64. Kemlein), Vertessen (64. Bénes) – Hollerbach (73. Bedia), Siebatcheu (64. Prtajin)

Real Sociedad: Marrero – Traoré (76. Odriozola), Aritz, Martin, Javi Lopez (84. Magunazelaia) – Marin (64. Zubimendi), De Zarate (64. Sucic), Kubo (84. Aramburu), Mendez (84. Olasagasti), Barrenetxea (64. Oyarzabal) – Becker (84. Sadiq)

The starting XI

For the final match of his pre-season preparations the time for experimentation was over for Bo Svensson, and he started with a familiar look, beginning with Frederik Rönnow in goal. He was behind a back three of Diogo Leite, Kevin Vogt and the captain for the day, in the absence of Christopher Trimmel and Rani Khedira, Danilho Doekhi. Janik Haberer filled in for the usual skipper, and the hurt Josip Juranović, as the right wing-back, while Robin Gosens took up position on the left.

The midfield pair were Lucas Tousart and Andras Schäfer, behind a marauding three of Benedict Hollerbach, Yorbe Vertessen and, in the middle, Jordan Siebatcheu.

Attendance: 19.265

Goals: 1:0 Gosens (41.), 1:1 Oyarzabal (83.)

Becker gets a fitting farewell, but Gosens scores a screamer

It was one of those nights that pre-season is made for. 1. FC Union Berlin played out an excellent draw against Real Sociedad, their passes having a zip that had been lacking last week, their shape stronger, their movements more determined. They were probably unfortunate to only have the single goal lead at the end of the first half.

But having heard his name sung out by the Unioner with the most rousing and deserved of farewells before kick off it was Sheraldo Becker who was the first to catch the eye in a hotly contested half, darting in behind Diogo Leite and hitting a dangerous ball across goal. Danilho Doekhi was equal to it – as he was to Urko De Zarate’s attempted cross a couple of minutes later from the left – hoicking it away into the evening skies over Köpenick, heavy with the humidity, heat and the hint of rain in the air.

The stadium crackled; the Unioner were in good voice, and not just for their returning hero. There was a resonance for the game that belied its status, with the knowledge that this one was the last test before Union would step out against Greifswald in the cup in a week’s time.

This one still really mattered.

As if to prove the point, Robin Gosens left Hamari Traore in a heap with only a couple of minutes played; his determination matched by that of Lucas Tousart when he snapped into a tackle on Urko De Zarate after ten minutes, almost setting Vertessen and Gosens away as they combined smartly after the Frenchman’s pass.

Union looked good, sharper than last week against Lyon, and Vertessen had already seen plenty of the ball, almost capitalising on a mis-pass from Unai Marrero in the Real goal, but he did better after 15 minutes when he was gifted another ball, though this time driving it from range too close to the keeper.

Svensson was up, directing his players like they were coming in to land on an aircraft carrier, and soon Union sprung his well laid trap, Schäfer – playing superbly, constantly in the right place in and around the centre circle when La Real had the ball, always looking to move it on quickly when he’d won it back – snapped into a tackle, setting the driving Hollerbach free via the boot of Jordan.

Though it came to nothing, plans were coming together, and Svensson proclaimed himself cautiously happy after the final whistle. “We were up against a top team and the lads did a lot of the things we wanted to see as a coaching team. We created some good chances and only allowed a few opportunities at the back. I really liked the way we played and the way our team performed today,” he said.

Union were largely in control as the half wore on, but their guests weren’t to be written off. The highly rated Take Kubo cut across goal and it took another excellent, and well timed tackle from Tousart to see his shot bounce out for a throw-in. Still Union went at them; Vertessen cut back for Schäfer as he looked to burst into the box from the right but dragged his shot an inch wide of the right hand upright with ten minutes to go until the break.

A beautiful, sweeping, fast move then followed via Haberer and Vertessen, Schäfer’s shot winning a corner that Doekhi headed off the bar. The ball bounced only as far as Gosens, but his crashing volley was saved remarkably by Marrero, flinging himself to his left, clawing the ball away, even as it seemed to have passed him on its way inside the back post.

Real couldn’t hold on much longer, as the rain now poured down. Within a minute, Hollerbach stormed into the inside right channel, pulling back a pass from near to the byline for Gosens who this time made certain, crashing the ball past Marrero, giving him no chance. It was a fine finish, and the culmination of an excellent half. Svensson, drenched, didn’t show much of a smile as he walked off down the tunnel, but he must have been at least a little cheered.

Svensson rings in the changes, Oyarzabal equalises near the end

The second half started with Union showing their steel. Vogt made a great stop, staying on his feet inside the six-yard box, before Tousart made another strong tackle on Ander Barrene, sparking another neat piece of play out from the back through Schäfer, Gosens and then Haberer. They were playing the ball with certainty now, passes nipping off the grass taken precisely, controlled with certainty. Gosens, drifting inside, hit a 25 yard pass out right with the outside of his boot that was just cut out before it reached Haberer. He would have a sickening clash of heads with Traore after ten minutes, the Real right-back floored on the edge of the centre-circle.

Again, though Real came back. Barrene marched half the pitch, laying it off for a one-two with Kubo, only seeing his shot fly just wide as he looked to guide it across goal.

Tom Rothe soon replaced Haberer, Gosens switching to the right, and the debutant got a roar to the steel rafters as he entered the pitch. But it was one more than matched when he won his first challenge of his Union career against Take with effortless strength.

Gosens, getting used to his new flank, hit a first time shot that came of Javi Lopez on 56 minutes for a corner. He headed Kubo’s cross out and over from underneath the bar at the other end before the hour was up, he never gave up, he was everywhere.

The sky was a gorgeous bruised peach, the rain fine, the Waldseite singing their hearts out as the half wore on, and Union were flying. Vertessen shot over after 62 minutes when played in by Hollerbach, who chose to play the ball right instead of left where Jordan was pulling the two centre backs apart. László Bénes – in alongside Leopold Querfeld, Ivan Prtajin and Aljoscha Kemlein, for Leite, Vertessen, Schäfer and Jordan – drew a good stop with a flashing shot at the near post after another run from Hollerbach.

But the guests were along for the party too. Becker had three attempts, all coming in from the left, each one getting closer to the target as he moved the ball onto his right, the third of which he bent artfully off the back post. Brais Mendez then flicked one behind his back only for Doekhi to get in the way.

Svensson changed again with 15 minutes to go, David Preu coming on for the brilliant Gosens, Chris Bedia having come on for Hollerbach five minutes earlier, before Benes saw his shot bobble out for a corner after Bedia’s insistent work around the penalty spot. Prtajin held his head in his hands when he saw his header downwards from the resulting corner fly off the pitch wide. Preu then got a cheer when he robbed Becker; the youngster and the returning hero. It was almost Becker’s last action of his return. Almost, though he was off by the time his side scored the equaliser.

With ten minutes to play, the substitute Mikel Oyarzabal, fresh from scoring in the European Championship final, suddenly had all the time in the world to set himself and header a clever chipped ball down and over the line to make it 1-1.

Rönnow held Alvaro Osriozola’s cross-shot with ease as the remaining minutes played themselves out, but by this point there was little left now to add. The final touch came not on the pitch, but in the astonishing, moving send-off for Becker from the whole stadium. His name rang down from the still-packed terraces for an eternity. It was a fitting end to a fine evening’s preparations.