Union turns the season finale game in Augsburg
1. FC Union Berlin turned the game around on the final matchday of the Bundesliga against FC Augsburg, winning 2-1. Both teams retained their place in the table.
Philipp Tietz scored Augsburg's 1-0 lead in the 41st minute, rewarding himself for an impressive performance. Andrej Ilic equalized for the visitors from Berlin in the 68th minute before making it 2-1 in stoppage time. "They score two goals from two or three shots," complained FCA coach Jess Thorup. "If Augsburg makes it 2-0, it'll be difficult," added Union's Steffen Baumgart. He added mischievously: "But they didn't."
In the 359th and final Bundesliga match officiated by record referee Dr. Felix Brych, both teams were essentially just playing for points. Union Berlin could no longer be dislodged from 13th place. Augsburg still had a chance to take tenth place from Borussia Mönchengladbach, but the defeat saw them drop to 12th.
No experiments at AugsburgUnion Berlin coach Baumgart took advantage of the game to give homegrown player David Preu his starting debut. Augsburg's Thorup didn't dare experiment and relied on his best players. Tietz, in particular, was in good form and had a shot on goal in the first minute, but volleyed over the goal after a skillful chest control.
The game subsequently developed into a generally even match, with Augsburg having the slightly better chances. After Jeffrey Gouweleeuw narrowly missed in the 34th minute, Tietz opened the scoring seven minutes later. Following a through ball from Chrislain Matsima, he eluded Leo Querfeld and fired past Alexander Schwolow with a shot into the bottom right corner.
Union's Baumgart substitutes SiegAfter the break, the game petered out into the summer break. Baumgart didn't like this, so he made three substitutions after the hour mark. And one of the new players, striker Andrej Ilic, then equalized. After Finn Dahmen parried Benedict Hollerbach's shot from the left, Ilic slotted home from close range.
After Berlin's equalizer, not much happened. Both teams were keen to kick the ball around, but their approaching vacation was already on their minds – or so it seemed. Until Union reappeared in the opposing half in stoppage time. Ilic controlled a cross from the left with his thigh before scoring again with a powerful shot. "The boys stuck with it and showed their mentality," praised Baumgart.
sportschau
