Champions League “Iron Union” in the cathedral of world football: narrowly lost – but history made
Almost 4,000 Union Berlin fans accompanied the “Iron” to the Champions League premiere in Madrid. They experienced an evening for the club history books.
© Eibner / Imago Images
In its Champions League debut, Union Berlin did impressively against Real Madrid’s “White Ballet” – and even came close to stealing a point from the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. Despite the narrow defeat, it was an evening for the “Iron” for eternity.
There is a wonderful black-British quip from Bill Shankly, the long-deceased successful coach of Liverpool FC from the 60s and 70s. “There are people who think football is a matter of life and death,” Shankly liked to say. Then add: “I don’t like this attitude. I can assure you that it is much more serious.”
Yes, it’s serious. There is so much at stake and what is better than football for romanticizing everyday life, which is generally quite poor, for producing myths, right up to the limits of kitsch and pain?
Union Berlin in the cathedral of world football
Real Madrid against Union Berlin, the artist ensemble all in white, which seems removed from anything earthly, against the football workers from Köpenick, a billion-dollar football empire against a club that was still in the second league a few years ago against nameless collectives from Sandhausen and Aue had to kick. And the whole thing in the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, cathedral of world football, a magical place like Wembley or Wankdorf. There really isn’t anything more romantic than that. Rich versus poor, bottom versus above, art versus work: a parable about life.
Wednesday’s Champions League results
Real Madrid vs. Union Berlin 1:0 (0:0)Galatasaray Istanbul vs. FC Kopenhagen 2:2 (0:1)Bayern Munich vs. Manchester United 9 p.m.FC Sevilla vs. RC Lens 9 p.m.FC Arsenal vs. PSV Eindhoven 9 p.m.Sporting Braga vs. SSC Napoli 9 p.m.Benfica Lisbon vs. RB Salzburg 9 p.m.Real Sociedad San Sebastian vs. Inter Milan 9 p.m
The second matchday of the group phase will be played on October 3rd and 4th.
All results, tables and statistics for the Champions League can be found here.
35-time Spanish champion, 20-time cup winner and record winner of the Champions League with 14 titles – all the trophies that Real has collected in the club’s history would blow up any display case at Union in the cozy stadium at the Alte Försterei. “You shouldn’t be too surprised. Today it takes a lot of courage,” said the always down-to-earth Union coach Urs Fischer shortly before the game in his usual gnarly Swiss manner. But he also said: “As a player or coach, you don’t know how often you will play here.” That probably means: This will be an experience. It shouldn’t come back any time soon. We can also enjoy it a little.
And it was an experience.
In the end, the underdogs from Berlin were only a minute away from a draw against the “Royal” from Madrid, a minor sensation. Horribly long stoppage time, then the 94th minute: Toni Kroos plays a corner short to Valverde, who shoots from the backcourt into the Berliners’ cover. The rebound ends up at the free Bellingham, who scores the evening’s goal from close range. 0:1 – Union goes home without a point.
Champions League
Duel of two worlds – the Köpenickers against the Royals
An evening, perhaps not necessarily for football aesthetes. But definitely one for romantics – with a slight tendency towards melancholy and tragic components.
After a first half that was more like black bread, a second in which Real’s ball caretakers around the British prodigy Jude Bellingham and the aging but still brilliant midfield emperors Toni Kroos and Luka Modrić increased the pressure from minute to minute: twice the post, one chance after the other.
“Iron union!” at Bernabeu
And in between, the fight collective from Berlin around the recently acquired, 36-year-old Italian rascal Leonardo Bonucci. A team that looks as if they had broken into the first floor from the basement of world football in order to steal something in the first Champions League game in the club’s history. A team that sacrificed itself between every shot, looked for every duel, sweaty, tireless and as “disgusting” as Urs Fischer always demands of his team. The whole thing was acoustically accompanied not by the battle songs of Spanish fans, but by just 4,000 who had traveled from Berlin. “Iron union!” at Bernabeu.
Well, in the end the “Royal” were overwhelmingly superior to the “Iron”; the statisticians counted the shots on goal after the game. 30:3 for Real. Even a very merciful football god can’t do anything about it. Nevertheless, this evening will not be forgotten so quickly.
How wonderful that there are things that are more important than life and death.
killed him
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