1. FC Union Berlin remain unbeaten in 2024/25, thanks to their 2-1 win over TSG Hoffenheim on Saturday afternoon. They were two goals up after only five minutes, through Tom Rothe and Wooyeong Jeong, only for former Unioner, Marius Bülter, to halve the defecit in the second half.
1. FC Union Berlin: Rönnow – Haberer (70. Trimmel), Doekhi, Vogt, Leite, Rothe (76. Querfeld) – Schäfer, Khedira – Jeong (70. Bénes), Siebatcheu (46. Skarke), Hollerbach (65. Vertessen)
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim: Baumann – Drexler (46. Gendrey), Hranac (46. Tohumcu), Akpoguma – Kaderabek, Stach, Bischof (84. Bruun Larsen), Prass (90. Hlozek) – Kramaric, Berisha (58. Tabakovic), Bülter
The starting XI
There were two changes compared to the side who performed so strongly in the goalless draw in Leipzig, but the back line remained unchanged, with Frederik Rönnow starting his 100th game for Union in goal behind Diogo Leite, Kevin Vogt and Danilho Doekhi, with Janik Haberer and Tom Rothe in as wing-backs, right and left respectively.
Rani Khedira was partnered by Andras Schäfer in the centre of midfield, while up top saw Benedict Hollerbach joined by the two substitutes last week, Jordan Siebatcheu and, making his first ever start for Union, Wooyeong Jeong.
Attendance: 21.831
Goals: 1-0 Rothe (4.), 2-0 Jeong (6.), 2-1 Bülter (68.)
Union run riot, Jeong and Rothe open their accounts
As the sun poured down onto a packed Alte Försterei, few expected what was to come. But a single look at Benedict Hollerbach as he snapped into challenges on Tim Drexler and Mergim Berisha within moments of kick off would have given them a hint. He would run riot, playing like a man possessed, always looking to get the ball moving forwards at pace, and he almost had the better of Drexler after only three minutes, drawing a sliding tackle, and winning a corner.
It was played short by the starting debutant, Wooyeong Jeong, and whipped back into the box. Leite won a header, before the ball bounced chaotically around, pinball style. But as it flew and whizzed around the box, from man to man, limb to limb, Tom Rothe saw it in slow motion as it dropped, shooting first time past Oliver Baumann to score his first ever goal in an Union shirt.
They were a goal up before most had a chance to draw breath. But that was nothing.
Hollerbach again charged at Drexler, following a mistake, this time the ball finding Jeong, making his first ever start for the club, via Oliver Baumann, the luckless Hoffenheim keeper, and Rothe.
He took a touch, moved it onto his left as the Hoffenheim defence lost their heads all around him, and finished past Baumann, stroking the ball into the net as if he had all the time in the world.
It was 2-0 with only five minutes played; both goals the scorers’ first for the club, both superbly taken. Svensson, later on, called it the “best case scenario”, and few could believe their eyes.
Hoffenheim were rocking; Hollerbach was a whirlwind, unplayable with the ball at his toe, his head down and his shoulders back. And even when the struggling guests contrived a move forwards, trying to block out the noise and the worry, Diogo Leite, having the best season of his career at Union so far, was there to make a picture-perfect tackle on their dangerman, Andrej Kramarić, from behind.
Yeong and Hollerbach soon swapped sides, taking turns in tormenting other defenders, and after 16 minutes the irrepressible Hollerbach broke down the right this time, hitting the byline and cutting the ball back to Haberer, but ultimately Jordan was unable to get the timing of his jump right, and his header flew not towards goal, but left, towards Rothe.
The Waldseite and Gegengerade did their call and response, as loud as they have all season, it was spine tingling stuff. And Union attacked and attacked. Jeong struck a free kick into the wall, coming back to him. He lofted the ball into the box again, Jordan had a go, Haberer had a go, but somehow it stayed out of the goal, if only by the numbers massed on the line alone.
Jeong and Hollerbach combined again, with the curly haired Bavarian cutting inside after 23 minutes, ignoring the pleas of Leite, still up in the box, desperately calling for the ball, and let fly a bending shot that dipped just too late to beat Baumann.
Yeong then took his turn, moving in and cracking a drive off the outstretched boot of Kevin Akpoguma for a corner, that seemed bound for the top corner
There was a pause, a blessed breather for the guests, when Doekhi stretched too far for another ball dropping into the box from a corner. And after that the game settled down slightly, with Union content to move the ball about, to hold position, and to rely on their back three of Leite, Kevin Vogt and Doekhi, who were exuding confidence, passing the ball out swiftly and precisely.
Jordan, keen to join in the fun, then showed his own nous with his back to goal, taking the ball on his chest with Robin Hranac at his back, and backheeling the ball almost into the path of the overlapping Hollerbach.
Rönnow, last weekend’s hero, making his 100th appearance, and first as a two-time Union footballer of the year, made his first save with three minutes of the half to go, diving to his right to tip Drexler’s low drive out for a corner before it snuck in at the back post.
And when Kramarić finally stood over a set-piece, with time almost up and the Unioner baying in their terraces, he ballooned it over the bar to their utter delight.
To round things off it was, of course Jeong, who left Drexler for dead, who crossed for Hollerbach, his header taking a deflection and out for another corner. They didn’t look like they needed the pause. They could have played on for hours.
Old Boy, Bülter, drags Hoffenheim back into it, but Union hang on for the win
Bo Svensson brought Tim Skarke on at half time, celebrating the signing of his new deal at the club only yesterday, for Jordan up top, as Pellegrino Matarazzo, his opposite number, took off the shellshocked Drexler and Hranac, moving to four at the back. One of them, Valentin Gendrey, skipped past Rothe, but overhit the ball and Rönnow cleared it almost onto the roof of the towering main stand.
The former Unioner, Marius Bülter, did better after a couple of minutes from the same position, but again Rönnow was there, this time blocking the ball at his near post.
Svensson’s side looked a little more patient too, no longer playing as if they were fleeing a burning building. Still Yeong was at the heart of everything, wanting the ball, always looking to dribble past his opponents, but when Union won a throw in the Hoffenheim half with seven minutes played of the half he motioned for calm.
Andras Schäfer, though, ignored the implication, and he danced beautifully around Prass and Akpoguma with a pirouette before ten minutes had been played. Nor did he, himself, as he joined Skarke in the chase of Akpoguma over 35 yards, forcing the Hoffenheimer back to his own byline, with panic in his eyes. He would do similarly to Alexander Prass with 25 minutes to play, bullying him all the way.
Bülter dropped his shoulder, throwing Doekhi off balance at the other end, cutting the ball back across goal, but even then Leite was there to clear the resulting shot away with little cause for alarm. The former Unioner attacked again, but this time Haris Tabakovic, the former could only plant his header into the arms of Rönnow, just moments after coming on.
Yorbe Vertessen came on for the tiring Hollerbach on 65 minutes – joined by Christopher Trimmel and László Bénes, replacing Jeong and Haberer as Svensson reacted to what came next – soon afterwards, but it wasn’t long until he would see Rönnow picking the ball out of his own net. The excellent Bülter cut inside again from the left, choosing to shoot, himself, this time, and rifling home inside the near post.
Union suddenly looked a little shaky, where before they had been superb, Tom Bischof hit a free kick from deep on the right that Doekhi headed clear. Things got messy soon after, the game a hailstorm of foul and counter foul, of charging, bull-like, at each other. Rothe went off, hurt by the touchline, and was replaced by Leopold Querfeld. Tabakovic tussled with Doekhi in the box while Valentin Gendrey tried to get in behind the melee as play went on. Tom Bischof got a yellow card for a lunge on Vertessen.
Again, Bülter went down the left, but his cross was blocked by Trimmel; Akpoguma caught Skarke as they went for a ball in the air on the edge of the centre-circle. And as Doekhi was down on the right, Svensson pointed to his temples, telling his players to keep their concentration.
It wasn’t easy. “Hoffenheim then switched up and got back into the game with their quality,” was the coach’s explanation. “Overall, we still have a lot to work on.”
Schäfer, though, was still brimming, he played a one-two with Trimmel on the right, somehow drawing a last gasp save from Baumann with his cross as it suddenly seemed destined to dip under the bar.
It was fraught, tackles were raining down from both sides, the volume reaching ever higher new levels as Umut Tohumcu caught Schäfer as he skipped onto Bénes’ brilliant chest down and lay-off. Bénes stood over it, 25 yards out, just to the right, but though he cleared the wall, he couldn’t get it under the bar.
And still it went on, as Doekhi made another of hundreds of interventions, this time on Kramarić, well into time added on. But as Rönnow took a final goal kick, launched up field with all his might, the whistle finally blew.
It was greeted with nothing but joy from the Unioner, and they’d stay for an eternity after the final whistle, too. Thanks to their lightning start, and their two debutant goals, they remain unbeaten this season.