Union Berlin suffered the next setback just three days after the severe slap at Bayer Leverkusen. Despite taking the lead twice in an intense game against FC Augsburg, the team coached by Urs Fischer did not get more than 2-2 (2-2), but with 27 points they are still in the Champions League ranks.
Sheraldo Becker (7th) and Kevin Behrens (22nd) scored in the An der Alten Försterei stadium for the Köpenickers, who lost their league lead to record champions Bayern Munich after almost two months on Sunday due to the 5-0 defeat in Leverkusen.
Florian Niederlechner equalized twice in his 100th Bundesliga game in an FCA shirt with a brace (9′, 39′). The Augsburgers have been waiting for a win for seven competitive games. Coach Enrico Maassen’s team is still stuck in the bottom half of the table with 15 points.
“Union did well, we held up well. In the end we’re happy with the draw,” said Niederlechner sky: “They still had a few chances in the second half, we almost didn’t have any.”
“Something went wrong at Union” in Leverkusen, Fischer said critically. However, the team is still ready “to move to the limit”, such “defeats are part of it and we can learn from it.”
Overall, the Union coach made four changes to the starting lineup. Among other things, Paul Seguin was on the pitch for the first time in a Bundesliga game for Union.
Both teams started the game at high speed and Becker immediately took his chance. The striker swept past FCA keeper Rafal Gikiewicz, who had rushed wide, to put Union ahead from a tight angle in the last home game of the year.
FC Augsburg: Niederlechner with the direct answer
However, the answer came immediately. After an Augsburg throw-in, the Köpenicker didn’t get the ball cleared properly, which landed in Niederlechner’s penalty area. The striker equalized from close range. At first it remained an open exchange of blows. Behrens followed suit a short time later.
The Europa League participants from Berlin then determined the game. Maassen made two changes before the break. Fredrik Jensen came on for the ailing Mergim Berisha, who had previously been treated on the pitch, and Felix Uduokhai (32′) came on for Maximilian Bauer.
And the guests did not let up. Ermedin Demirovic tried it from a distance, the ball bounced off the crossbar to Niederlechner, who artistically equalized again.
After the break, Niko Gießelmann, among others, missed the chance to take the lead again, his free kick landed on the crossbar (48′), and Behrens also hit the woodwork in the final stages (68′). Both teams gave nothing away, it went back and forth happily over long stretches.
