Berlin (dpa) – On the lap of honor of their team, the fans of 1. FC Union Berlin gave everything one last time. Even if the 1: 1 (1: 1) against SC Freiburg did not result in the hoped-for second win of the season, the approximately 4,500 fans celebrated their iron with rhythmic clapping. Only in the stadium An der Alten Försterei in the Corona hotspot Berlin were more than 1000 spectators allowed in the Bundesliga on Saturday under strict hygiene rules – but chants were forbidden. The Berlin players applauded the fans on the way back to the dressing room, but were by no means satisfied with themselves.
“That annoys us that we don’t keep three points here,” said Union professional Marvin Friedrich: “We were the better team for over 90 minutes.” Goalscorer Robert Andrich added: “We were closer to the three than Freiburg. Nonetheless, you have to take a point with you first.” The midfielder also had to admit that the Berliners should have “gone one better”.
Vincenzo Grifo (34th minute) had put Freiburg in the lead, Andrich (36th) equalized just 111 seconds later. In the largely uneventful second half, no team could earn the success. The Berliners, who were harmless in front of the goal, remained undefeated for the fourth time in a row, while the guests from Breisgau have been waiting for a victory for just as long. Both teams are stuck with six points in the middle of the table.
“If someone should have won, it would have been more likely to be Union than we were,” said Freiburg coach Christian Streich: “We can play better football.” The coach was not at all satisfied with the initial phase in particular: “We weren’t sure of the ball, we made too many simple pass errors in the game.”
Union determined the initial phase with a lot of pressure, while Freiburg initially struggled with the game forward. Out of nowhere, however, Grifo was successful with a well-placed Schlenzer and left Union keeper Andreas Luthe no chance. But the Berliners reacted and took advantage of a mistake in the briefly too passive Freiburg defense. Andrich hit from around 25 meters with a flat shot.
In the meantime, the Union fans made noise in the stands, despite the official ban on chants and chants. They cheered on their team with loud clapping or rattling, horns and even pot lids. The local health department had approved the event for 5000 participants despite the sharp increase in the number of infections. All spectators had to wear mouth and nose protection during their entire stay in the stadium.
“The fans made the best of it. It wasn’t because of the fans,” said Berlin goalkeeper Andreas Luthe. The Swiss fisherman joined in the praise: “Compliments to our fans. I found it to be a football game with good humor.”
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