Bundesliga - Union above the line at Christmas: Cologne's Baumgart wobbles
Benedict Hollerbach saved 1. FC Union Berlin from dropping to the relegation zone with his power and scoring instinct and further aggravated Steffen Baumgart 's situation as coach of 1. FC Köln. In the last game before the short Christmas break, the attacking midfielder scored in the 56th minute to put the Ironmen on the road to victory against Cologne, who had previously dominated the game. David Fofana (78'), who was recently replaced by new coach Nenad Bjelica, scored the winner in a fortunate 2-0 (0-0) victory in front of 22,012 spectators at the sold-out Stadion an der Alten Försterei on Wednesday evening.
The second home win under Bjelica means that Union go into the short Christmas break in the Bundesliga in 15th place in the table. Cologne slipped to 17th place and are facing a restless holiday season. Union legend Baumgart suffered another setback at his old place of work. But even the Berliners must not be blinded by their success. In this condition, staying in the league remains a hard piece of work.
Union coach Bjelica dutifully introduced himself to referee Deniz Aytekin on the touchline with a handshake shortly before kick-off. The Croatian likes good behavior. Accordingly, there was a lot of talk about the absence of star striker Sheraldo Becker from the squad. Discipline, form or just fitness? What was missing? Bjelica had already made an example of Fofana. Visiting coach Baumgart obviously also saw the need for change: five changes to the starting eleven after the 2-0 defeat in Freiburg as a sign of hope for new impetus.
However, after their twelve-minute silent protest against the DFL and its investor plan, both fan camps had to realize that fighting relegation is also a question of patience. The fear of the error devil ensured soccer of the highest caution category. After 38 minutes, Union goalkeeper Frederik Rönnow had to stretch for a ball for the first time when Denis Huseinbasic shot in the penalty area.
Things got even dicier when Rönnow had to clear twice against Huseinbasic and Jan Uwe Thielemann (43'). Cologne goalkeeper Schwäbe, on the other hand, was primarily rewarded for his presence in the first half.
After the break,Bjelica brought on striker Fofana, who had recently been withdrawn due to a lack of diligence in training, for Kevin Behrens, who continued to be hapless. However, Rönnow was once again in the spotlight, just managing to keep out a header from Cologne's former Hertha player Davie Selke (49').
Hollerbach did not seem to like the way the game was going. He energetically forced his way into the Cologne penalty area and thumped the ball into the corner. A fortunate lead for the Berliners, which Hollerbach almost increased himself a minute later, but Schwäbe dived in time to make the save. The Cologne keeper now saved several Berlin counter-attacking chances. However, he was powerless against Fofana's shot from an acute angle.
Information about the game on the Bundesliga homepage
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- Steffen Baumgart, the coach of 1. FC Köln, faced further struggle after Benedict Hollerbach's goal against them.
- Union Berlin's new coach, Nenad Bjelica, made an example of David Fofana for discipline issues, but Fofana would later contribute to their victory.
- Cologne, currently in 17th place, is facing a challenging holiday season following their relegation-threatening position.
- Union legend Baumgart, coaching in his old place of work, experienced another setback, but the team must remain focused on staying in the Bundesliga.
- Frederik Rönnow, Union's goalkeeper, had a crucial role in their defense, making several important saves throughout the game.
- FC Köln's goalkeeper, Schwäbe, also had a strong performance in the first half, keeping the score level.
- Cologne striker Davie Selke came close to scoring for his team in the second half, but Frederik Rönnow managed to keep the ball out.
- After coming on as a substitute, David Fofana scored the winner for Union Berlin in a fortunate 2-0 victory over 1. FC Köln.
- The wins for both Union Berlin and CDU/CSU in their respective domains signify the importance of grit and determination in challenging situations, be it in soccer or politics, in North Rhine-Westphalia or Germany as a whole.
Source: www.stern.de
