UNION BERLIN’S FAIRYTALE run at the top of the Bundesliga continued Sunday after a howler from Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel helped them to a stunning 2-0 win over Edin Terzic’s side.
Two first-half goals from Janik Haberer put Union into dreamland in front of a raucous home crowd as they extended their five-week run at the top of the table and pulled four points clear of Bayern Munich, who moved second with a thumping 5-0 win at home over Freiburg.
“We are performing so consistently. Sometimes we get the rub of the green, but today it was no coincidence that we won,” said Haberer, as he was hugged by Union’s mascot in the bowels of the stadium after the game.
The visitors got off to a nightmare start after Kobel handed Union the opener on a silver platter.
As he stepped up to receive a routine backpass from Raphael Guerreiro, Kobel slipped on the grass in his own penalty area, allowing Haberer to tap the ball into the empty net.
“It was lucky for us that he slipped, but when you’re at the top, that’s when you get the luck,” said Union defender Timo Baumgartl.
Haberer doubled the lead shortly afterwards, smashing the ball into the bottom corner after Union had danced through the lethargic Dortmund backline.
Terzic brought on three attacking players at half-time to try and force a fightback, but it was Union who continued to have the better chances.
Baumgartl forced a sharp save from Kobel early in the second half and only a desperate challenge from former Union defender Nico Schlotterbeck denied Andras Schaefer a few minutes later.
Dortmund pushed hard in the final 15 minutes, forcing three brilliant saves from Union keeper Frederik Ronnow.
“We are not where we want to be at the moment,” said Terzic, whose side are now seven points behind Union in eighth.
- Bayern thrash Freiburg -
Champions Bayern are back on course, meanwhile, after they leapfrogged Freiburg into second with only their second win in seven league games.
“From the first second to the last today, we showed who is boss,” said Bayern striker Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting after his side rampaged to victory in Munich.
Freiburg started brightly but Bayern quickly took control of the game, Serge Gnabry putting them in front with a powerful header after just 13 minutes.
Choupo-Moting doubled the lead on the half-hour mark, with Leroy Sane picking up his second assist of the evening.
Sane got on the scoresheet himself just after half-time when he found the bottom corner with a thundering shot from the edge of the area.
Any faint hope for Freiburg was buried just two minutes later, when Sadio Mane sent a dainty chip over the head of goalkeeper Mark Flekken to make it 4-0.
Mane then produced a slick backheel to set up Marcel Sabitzer for Bayern’s fifth late on.
In Sunday’s early game, former Dortmund striker Steffen Tigges struck twice to lead Cologne to a 3-2 win over Augsburg.
Augsburg took the lead with their first chance of the game, Florian Niederlechner squeezing the ball past goalkeeper Marvin Schwaebe after a long ball into the box.
Tigges levelled the scores with a brilliant first-time finish just after half-time, and was then involved in the build-up to Cologne’s second, as Denis Huseinbasic put the home side ahead.
Augsburg remained brutally efficient when they did get forward, and Daniel Caligiuri swept in an equaliser just a few minutes later.
Yet Tigges remained a thorn in the visitors’ side until the death, prodding home the winner with just nine minutes to play.
In Italy, Victor Osimhen made sure that Napoli kept hold of their Serie A lead with the winning goal in a 3-2 victory over Bologna which took their all-competitions winning streak to 10 matches.
Nigeria striker Osimhen struck in the 69th minute to secure the win for unbeaten Napoli, who maintained their two-point lead on Atalanta at the top of the pile.
It was his first league goal since August after helping his team to secure qualification to the Champions League last 16 with a midweek strike in Naples against Ajax.
“It’s always important for me to get a goal in this stadium because the atmosphere is really amazing,” said Osimhen to DAZN.
“I’m happy to be able to help the team with this goal and the victory, and I believe we will continue to push with this momentum.”
However Sunday’s win was far from the swashbuckling display expected against Bologna, who sit 17th but come away from the Stadio Maradona with credit after a fine performance without star man Marko Arnautovic.
The hosts looked to be heading for a routine win once Hirving Lozano put them ahead three minutes after half-time.
They had gone into the break level thanks to Juan Jesus bundling in his first goal of the season in final minute of the half, just four minutes after Joshua Zirkzee had give Bologna a shock lead.
However Alex Meret allowed Musa Barrow to level for Bologna just two minutes after Lozano’s arrowed strike with a howler, letting the Gambian’s long-range shot slip through his fingers.
The home crowd squirmed but Osimhen, who replaced Giacomo Raspadori at half-time, forced his third league goal of the campaign under Lukasz Skorupski from the superb Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s pass to send the fans home drained but happy.
- Tonali saves Milan -
AC Milan gave their title defence a boost with a 2-1 win at Verona which bumped them up to third, three points behind Napoli.
Sandro Tonali stroked in the champions’ winner with nine minutes remaining, his first goal of the season and one which saved Stefano Pioli’s injury-ravaged team from falling further off the pace.
“We’re happy that even on our off nights, we can still get the points,” said Tonali.
Verona were playing their first match under new coach Salvatore Bocchetti who was promoted from the youth team following the sacking of Gabriele Cioffi.
The hosts could easily have taken more from the match as, after Koray Gunter levelled a Miguel Veloso own goal in the 19th minute, they caused Milan serious problems and struck the bar through Roberto Piccoli 11 minutes after the break.
Bocchetti’s team went close to levelling for the second time in the match in the final minutes when a goalmouth scramble led to Tommaso Pobega nearly giving away a penalty for handball.
But a fifth straight defeat means they stay in the bottom three, two points behind Bologna.
Earlier, Inter Milan saw off Salernitana 2-0 at the San Siro, while there was no shortage of La Liga action as Real Madrid went top after their Clasico win.
And Neymar scored the only goal of the game as Paris Saint-Germain maintained their unbeaten record this season and moved three points clear at the top of Ligue 1 by beating bitter rivals Marseille 1-0 on Sunday.
The Brazilian converted a Kylian Mbappe assist in first-half stoppage time to decide a hard-fought encounter with chances at both ends and a red card for Marseille defender Samuel Gigot.
He was sent off in the 72nd minute for scything down Neymar, whose theatrical reaction may have helped convince the referee to produce a red card instead of a yellow.
It is a welcome return to winning ways for PSG after three straight draws — two of which came against Benfica in the Champions League — and a week overshadowed by new doubts about Mbappe’s future at the club.
PSG are three points clear of surprise package Lorient, who drew 0-0 on Saturday with Reims.
Lens are five points behind the leaders in third, with Marseille another point adrift now in fourth after their second successive domestic defeat.
