Desperate Union captain is "angry at everything"
Nothing has come of the delicate upward trend: Union Berlin suffered another setback in the battle to stay in the Bundesliga - against direct rivals Bochum of all teams. The captain finds clear words afterwards and worries about Christmas.
The players of 1. FC Union Berlin stood in front of the visitors' curve for several minutes. After the sometimes desolate 0:3 (0:1) at VfL Bochum, the fans gave the Köpenickers encouraging applause, then shouts of "Eisern-Union" resounded through the Ruhrstadion. The support did the players good after slipping to the relegation play-off place in the Bundesliga. They did not lose sight of reality.
Captain Rani Khedira in particular found clear words. "If you don't keep your positions as agreed, it will be difficult," said the 29-year-old. They were quite right to go down. "It can't happen to us. It shouldn't happen to us," said Khedira. When asked whether he was angry with some of his teammates, the midfielder said: "No, I'm angry with everything. If you're left with ten points, you can't be happy. Then you can't be happy. Then you can't celebrate Christmas in peace."
Instead of continuing their slight upward trend and overtaking their direct rivals in the battle to stay in the league with a win, Köpenick are now six points behind VfL. At almost no point were Union able to build on their performance in the previous week's 3:1 win against Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Bochum were "much better than us"
Four days after their Champions League exit against Real Madrid (2:3), the surprise team of the previous season was harmless up front and vulnerable at the back. Takuma Asano (45.+5), Gonçalo Paciência (54.) and Kevin Stöger (78./foul penalty) scored the goals for the hosts on Saturday. Bochum were highly superior. Bjelica also recognized that. "They were much better than us today," said the 52-year-old. "More venomous, quicker, stronger in tackles. That's why they won." Bjelica also said: "They were always half a meter quicker than us."
At the start of the match, the stands were largely silent in protest against a DFL investor deal. On the pitch, things got off to a fast start. After a cross from Cristian Gamboa, Stöger only just missed the early 1:0 for Bochum (3rd). VfL in particular got into the game well and gained increasing advantages. After twelve minutes, however, referee Sven Jablonski had to stop the game.
Union fans had thrown tennis balls onto the pitch, causing a four-minute break. Chocolate coins also flew onto the pitch - Bochum's attacking player Asano opened one and ate it. The interruption did not throw the hosts off their stride. Bochum remained more dangerous but failed to take advantage of several good chances. At the other end, Janik Haberer had the first real chance for the visitors after more than half an hour. Bochum defender Keven Schlotterbeck cleared just off the line. Shortly before the break, Asano gave Bochum a deserved lead. Berlin's resistance was broken after the second VfL goal at the latest. Union had nothing more to offer.
Berlin have just ten points to their name after 14 games. In 2022/23, they had 27 after the same number of games. "We all know the situation," said central defender Robin Knoche. "Anyone who isn't aware of it now should start as soon as possible."
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Union Berlin's loss to VfL Bochum leaves them six points behind in the soccer league, making it challenging to overtake their direct rivals in the battle to stay in the Bundesliga. Despite the fans' support and encouragement, the team's performance wasn't up to par compared to their previous week's 3:1 win against Borussia Mönchengladbach. On the other hand, VfL Bochum celebrated their win against Union, having performed exceptionally well, outplaying Union in almost every aspect of the game. Their victory came just days after their disappointing Champions League exit against Real Madrid.
Source: www.ntv.de
