Bundesliga
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Union Berlin earns a point in Leipzig and remains unbeaten
The 1. FC Union Berlin and RB Leipzig ended with a 0:0 draw on Saturday. Both teams had to do without their head coaches – and extended their streaks.
- Match without head coach: Union coach Bo Svensson was sidelined with an illness, and RB coach Marco Rose missed due to a suspension. They were represented by their assistant coaches Babak Keyhanfar and Alexander Zickler.
- Laszlo Benes and Tim Skarke made their Bundesliga starting debuts in the Union jersey.
- FCU goalkeeper Frederik Rönnow saved a penalty from Lois Openda (74th minute).
- RB Leipzig remains unbeaten in their 14th consecutive Bundesliga game across seasons – Union is still without a loss in the 2024/25 season.
Leipzig too imprecise – Union too harmless
The initial phase in the Leipzig Central Stadium belonged to the home side, who needed a narrow quarter of an hour to create their first real threat towards the Köpenicker goal. In the 13th minute, it was Leipzig’s top scorer Lois Openda who cut inside after a long ball and struck low with his left foot, missing the goal narrowly. The threats continued to get closer: Kevin Kampl’s attempt hit the goalpost (19th minute) and just two minutes later, FCU goalkeeper Frederik Rönnow had to prove himself for the first time as he confidently caught Openda’s shot (21st minute).
After this surge from the Saxons, the Iron Ones stabilized for a while and waited for countering moments. However, the few (counter) opportunities Leipzig presented to the Berliners were not capitalized on decisively. The logical consequence: zero shots on goal for the FCU in the first half.
Attempts from Benjamin Henrichs (44th) and Amadou Haidara (45th) from central positions were blocked by iron legs on the opposite side – and thus the teams went into halftime with a score of 0:0.
FCU with improved performance in the second half
The second half began with an advance from 1. FC Union: Laszlo Benes found Diogo Leite in the center with his corner kick, but Leite did not generate enough power behind his header to seriously challenge Peter Gulacsi in goal for RB (47th). After 55 minutes, the home side again posed a threat: Xavi Simons nudged the ball from a tight angle, but it went only into the side netting (55th).
Then, Union was close to taking the lead. First, Gulacsi made a reflex save against a powerful header from Tom Rothe (58th) before the next Köpenicker corner created danger again, but Leite also found his match in the Leipzig goalkeeper (59th).
In the second 45 minutes, fans witnessed an entertaining game of football – with chances on both sides. After just over an hour, Xavi tried from the second row, and Union’s captain Rani Khedira blocked the shot, causing the ball to drop from above onto the crossbar (68th).
Rönnow saves penalty
The signs that the Iron Ones could take a point from the Central Stadium intensified – as even from the penalty spot, RB was unlucky. Kevin Vogt fouled Openda in the penalty area, referee Sven Jablonski pointed to the spot, but the fouled player failed in his weak attempt against Rönnow (74th). On the other side, substitute Yorbe Vertessen narrowly missed his chance (76th).
Until the end, it remained an open match, which on this Saturday afternoon did not deserve a winner and ended in a scoreless draw after Rönnow also saved a free kick from David Raum in injury time (90 +2).
The voices after the match
Rani Khedira (1. FC Union Berlin): “We executed what we had planned. Leipzig played into our hands and repeatedly attacked the areas where we wanted the balls. We were well prepared […] and very aggressive.”
Tom Rothe (1. FC Union Berlin): “Getting a point in Leipzig is a success. We defended our goal well for over 90 minutes, allowed few chances, and fought well as a team. We can drive home satisfied. Towards the end, we even had one or two chances – had we taken those, we could have even secured three points. In the end, we are satisfied with the draw.”
Kevin Kampl (RB Leipzig): “We intended to take three points and start the Bundesliga season with three wins. So this is bitter for us, but we are too solid as a team for it to throw us off track. We had complete control over the game for 90 minutes. Union was only waiting for counterattacks and kicking the balls forward. However, we created too few clear goal chances.”
Lukas Klostermann (RB Leipzig): “It feels like two lost points. We knew we were playing against a team that is very committed defensively and would make our lives very difficult. […] In the second half, we got more space and chances. Overall, the point doesn’t feel good.”
The live ticker to read
Broadcast: rbb24 Inforadio, 14.09.2024, 15:30 CET