For the first time in 18 months: Union astounds with new quality

It is not entirely documented what really happened during the XXL league break at 1. FC Union Berlin. Of course, they trained in Köpenick. They studied the procedures, tried to press the reset button after the catastrophic first four matches. Just somehow, to let off some steam. That suddenly a completely different team would be on the field – that was not to be expected. Dortmund had no clear chance of scoring. After the 1-0 victory against the promotion team Elversberg, the team of coach Mauro Lustrinelli followed up on the weekend. Not with the next victory, but with a respectable result against the reigning runner-up Borussia Dortmund. In the 90 minutes, in which sporting highlights were scarce, Union drew 0-0 with the favored guests. Although the scoreless draw once again showed the weaknesses in attack, the defensive performance could hardly have been better. The Champions League participant did not allow a high-quality chance to the team, who left visibly frustrated on the way home after the final whistle. 1. FC Union Berlin: Manuel Gräfe battles the referee Schlager. "We are now defending better in the association. The whole team is involved, from front to back. We maintain the distances and press consistently. I am overjoyed that we played to nil again today, we must build on that and take that with us into the next games," analyzed Felix Uduokhai after the match. The defender had experienced sportsmanlike hellish weeks after his move to Besiktas Istanbul in the summer. At his debut in the away game in Leverkusen (0:4), he was hardly at the peak of action, and afterward, he also gave no good show against Schalke (1:3) and in Munich (0:7). Felix Uduokhai conceded no goals for 1. FC Union Berlin in the second consecutive game. © IMAGO/Celina Leiers On Saturday, he was in the central defense with Zeno Van Den Bosch and made it difficult for the BVB attackers, especially top striker Serhou Guirassy. The result was the second game in a row without conceding a goal. Union had achieved this most recently in April 2025. In his time, the team had still won 1-0 against VfL Wolfsburg with former coach Steffen Baumgart, and a week later, the 0-0 in Leverkusen had been the penultimate step on the way to class. Until then, there is still a long way to go in this period of the season, despite the recent euphoria. At the opposing end, the hosts found it extremely difficult to initiate dangerous situations. Kastriot Imeri, who was replaced by Emmanuel Latte Lath at halftime, Wooyeong Jeong and Tim Skarke showed little scoring threat. Lustrinelli wanted to make no criticism in this regard. Would it have been excessive to be a little annoyed about a potentially missed victory? "We did everything to win the game," said the Swiss. "For me, it is important to focus on what we did well. I am glad that compared to the first few weeks, a completely different organization is prevailing on the field." The Union Testimony: Four Twos for the Köpenick Defense So, it remains the path of small steps in the Berliner Südosten. Piece by piece, striking power should lead to chances and goals in the final third. Mekhi Gray could be one building block for this. After his Bundesliga debut against Elversberg, the 19-year-old got to participate for more than 20 minutes against Dortmund after his substitution in the final phase. National defender Nico Schlotterbeck, who was also for Union, immediately deflected the robust attacker in the first action. With his physicality, he could bring an element into the offense that Lustrinelli's team is so lacking in the absence of the still not available Andrej Ilic. Fearless in every tackle: Mekhi Gray (l.) played his second Bundesliga game against Dortmund. © IMAGO/Celina Leiers Gray's involvement was also remarkable for another reason. Because Aljoscha Kemlein and Linus Güther were also used, three players who were developed in the club's youth performance center were on the field together for the first time in the eighth Bundesliga year at the final whistle. Next game at FC Augsburg In the next matchday (Saturday, 3:00 PM), Union is playing away against FC Augsburg. The opponent started the season furiously with two wins and a lead in the standings in the meantime, but is now waiting for a victory after the 3-4 defeat in Elversberg for four matches. With an opponent largely on equal footing, there is great hope that the positive mini-series can continue to be built up. Your opinion is important to us. Send us your feedback on this article to: briefe@berliner-zeitung.de