Gerardo Seoane had to be satisfied with one point at his Bundesliga premiere with Bayer Leverkusen. At Union Berlin it was 1-1 for the Werkself.
Immediately after the final whistle, Gerardo Seoane and Urs Fischer had a conciliatory chat in “Schwyzerdütsch” and congratulated each other with a handshake. The Swiss coaching duel in the comparison between Union Berlin and Bayer Leverkusen gave both football teachers a point at the start of the season at 1: 1 (1: 1).
The new Bayer coach Seoane might have flirted with three counters at the Alte Försterei. “It was an intense game,” said Bayer central defender Jonathan Tah at Sky, “we handled the duel very well. But we are not satisfied with one point.”
Both teams started like the fire brigade in the initial phase, but in the further course both teams largely neutralized each other. The Berliners, who will compete in the play-offs of the new Conference League with Finnish representative Kuopio PS on Thursday, took the lead thanks to Taiwo Awoniyi (7th), who was signed by Liverpool FC in the summer. Leverkusen quickly equalized through Moussa Diaby (12th).
Fischer made two changes compared to the cup at the Köpenickers, where there had been a major change in personnel after the successful second Bundesliga year. Among other things, newcomer Genki Haraguchi moved into the starting line-up. Seoane switched to three positions. The Brazilian Olympic champion Paulinho initially sat on the bench.
Bayer 04 and Union: deserved sharing of points
In a lively, fast-paced and balanced initial phase, both teams looked for the way forward. Chances after individual defensive errors initially remained without consequences, but Union and Bayer were allowed to cheer early.
Awoniyi was not consistently disturbed by Leverkusen’s central defense after a strong pass from Max Kruse. Five minutes later, the strong Diaby managed to equalize after a remarkable solo.
Bayer increasingly took control, but far too rarely made it into the last third. Attacker Patrik Schick, who sometimes let himself fall far back from the storm center, hardly came to deals. Union only radiated a little danger with long balls on the fast Awoniyi. Opportunities remained in short supply. In addition, many nicknames disrupted the flow of the game.
After switching sides, little changed. Bayer and Berlin lacked precision in their actions. Passes in the interfaces ended up with the opponent, promising attacks had to be canceled after technical failures. The first dangerous scene in the penalty area was a long time coming – and briefly acted like a wake-up call for Union.
Substitute Levin Öztunali appeared in front of Leverkusen goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky, but did not bring the ball under control (68.). Union stayed on the trigger. However, Bayer also had opportunities. The division of points was deserved in the end.
1. FC Union Berlin – Bayer Leverkusen: The lineups
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