First Bundesliga victory for Union: How Marius Bülter ruined the evening at Dortmund

Remember Marius Bülter? A supporter of 1. FC Union Berlin doesn't ask this question. The answer comes out like a shot from a gun: And yes! Nothing simpler than that. Because Bülter is the man of the first goals for the Ironmen in the Bundesliga at the Stadion an der Alten Försterei. August 31, 2019, was the day. The signs weren't good at all then. The start with a 0:4 against Leipzig went completely wrong. The game afterward with a 1:1 in Augsburg already aroused much more desire for the Bundesliga adventure. But then Borussia Dortmund arrived in Köpenick. A BVB that had started furiously with a 5:1 win against the Fuggerstädter and a 3:1 in Cologne and was reigning at the top of the table. But Marius Bülter also arrived. The man who had switched from the relegated 1. FC Magdeburg to Berlin's southeast on loan in the preceding weeks. The cost: 400,000 Euros. His recommendation, if one can even speak of it: 32 matches in the German lower division, plus four goals. Otherwise, almost nothing. A largely unwritten page. His previous stops: Brukteria Dreierwalde, Preußen Münster, Eintracht Rheine (here a transition to the men's game), one year at SuS Neuenkirchen, four years at SV Rödinghausen. His highest league before the move to Magdeburg: Regionalliga West. When Bülter shocked the Borussians The words with which the transfer was commented could not have been more flattering. It is clear that Bülter was in and out: "It is the dream of every footballer to be able to play in the Bundesliga. Being able to make this step in the jersey of Union is something special. Now for me is about getting a foothold in the team as quickly as possible." Oliver Ruhnert, the Managing Director of Profifußball, was just as confident: "We have followed Marius Bülter's development closely and are sure that he can enrich our game." Only: Can someone, even if he has accumulated 90 cup minutes with a 6:0 in Halberstadt and 180 appearances in the Bundesliga with more or less moderate success, become dangerous for a giant in the industry? And how he can! 22nd minute: After a corner kick, delivered by Christopher Trimmel, the ball comes to Bülter uncovered and he slams it with his right into the bottom right corner – 1:0, the first goal of the Newcomer in the new league and the first goal of 1. FC Union in the new league in their own stadium. Marius Bülter celebrates his goal. © Camera 4/imago Because that would not have been enough for the victory (Paco Alcácer quickly equalized for the guests), Bülter measured again very carefully. 50th minute: Sebastian Andersson fails against BVB keeper Roman Bürki. When the ball springs exactly to Bülter, he shoots from the right, this time with his left, and hits the bottom left – the 2:1. It is the basis for Union's first hat-trick in the Bundesliga, which Andersson cemented a quarter of an hour before the end with the 3:1. Meanwhile, the record is catastrophic Lately, Marius Bülter is history in Köpenick. Not in the Bundesliga. There he has often sprinted along the sides with full steam for Schalke and Hoffenheim and is still doing it for 1. FC Köln. However, in the Ironmen's jersey, it was over after two years. But one could also say: With Bülter, the victories of Köpenick against Dortmund are also history. Because even in the 2:1 in the following season, he was there, even if he didn't score, but Taiwo Awoniyi and Marvin Friedrich. Only after his departure was it actually so bad. Not entirely, nevertheless, the record against the Black and Yellows since then is catastrophic. After his departure, there were two more victories against Borussia, but through eight partly passionate defeats, they were almost swallowed up. And in the last three matches, the Ironmen did not score a goal. The grim flip side: Twelve times Frederik Rönnow had to get the ball out of his box. That half of this dozen was provided by Serhou Guirassy alone, and the former Union players Nico Schlotterbeck and Julian Ryerson were also successful, and Diogo Leite suffered an own goal to all blame, which plays hardly any role there. Horror record remains horror record. Serhou Guirassy has become the nightmare for Union. © Federico Gambarini/dpa That is not a story. On the contrary. It is a bitterly bitter reality for the Ironmen. And it is time to end it. Otherwise, it could become a trauma. As if the Red-Whites, after the upheaval in the summer, the new coach Mauro Lustrinelli and one of his preferred new playing philosophies and not necessarily a successful start, have no other worries. In some way, the situation at the Stadion an der Alten Försterei is similar to seven years ago. There was even more new than this time. Namely, everything. The opponents. The pace. The intensity. The ambition. The perception. The pressure. The Köpenickers have learned how to deal with this. Even in difficult situations and in the face of paralyzing moments. It is just stupid that with each year of their belonging to the Bundesliga establishment, the danger of disgrace increases. Just as with the somewhat blatant defeats of this season. If this had happened in the first year, others would have made excuses. There would have been talk of naive newcomers, of an upcomer who did not master the demands of the Bundesliga. Or of simple overload. Reasonable Expectations The signs this time are completely different. The fact that it would be excellent for the men of coach Mauro Lustrinelli, even if they were only approximately within sight of a single-digit table position, does not protect them. Dirk Zingler even advocates that despite some peaks, which are already several years back, do not lose sight of reality and only recently found: "In the pre-season, we have become eleventh in the Bundesliga, there is nothing cooler with our conditions." That, judging by the bumpy start of the season, would mean more than satisfied in Köpenick even after this season. "We must be careful," the president says, "that the claim and transmission of topics do not completely diverge from reality." There have been other clubs that became victims of their own success. But only Haberer has played against BVB for Union To avoid such an operational accident, all forces must be united. Especially against a rival like Borussia Dortmund, who is visiting the Stadion an der Alten Försterei on Saturday at 3:30 PM. The demand to stay with Zingler is a victory. The reality, however, is that a hat-trick against Dortmund would be exceptional for the Ironmen. Already, in 225 minutes, the men are without a single goal against BVB. As long as against no other team. Until October 5, 2024, and the then 2:1, one has to go back to find an Ironmen goalscorer against the Black and Yellows. Yorbe Vertessen did it, after Kevin Vogt had scored a penalty. Like many from more successful times, the two are no longer around. From their own ranks, only Janik Haberer has played against Borussia. Once with a 2:0, even Bülter twice. In October, as this time, it has only been four years. Historically, the day is also for the 32-year-old. Because these two goals are his only double in his Bundesliga career. After that, the midfielder has rarely scored. But with his latest goal, he set a milestone in the history of 1. FC Union when he managed to secure survival against Freiburg with a 2:1, which was the very last thread. Since then? Load failure. There is certainly time for a new story. 1. FC Union Berlin: How the Köpenickers are fighting the crisis By the way, this happened elsewhere for Marius Bülter. With seven goals, he was the second-best goalscorer for 1. FC Union in their first Bundesliga year after Sebastian Andersson (10). After an eighth goal in the following season, he scored 24 more goals in the Bundesliga for Schalke (11), Hoffenheim (8), and Cologne (5). He managed to score only against BVB. But at that time, it was also quite significant. Namely, for Schalke in a 2:2 in the derby, which has enormous significance for the Königsblacks. Against Union, this is a slightly bitter part of the truth for the Ironmen; he scored three times for each club he was with after his time in Köpenick and in the case of 1. FC Köln, who is still there. But this weekend, Dortmund is the first thing. Your opinion is important to us. Send us your feedback on this article: briefe@berliner-zeitung.de