Negative streak ended, anniversary goal scored and three points taken: In the end, it was a successful day all round for Union Berlin in Mainz, where once again the mood was in the cellar.
In the analysis, there was basically unanimity at all levels. The first 20 minutes after half-time made the difference and gave Union Berlin the 2-1 win in Mainz. “It bugs me that we lost,” said Stefan Bell, who had certainly envisaged his anniversary (200th Bundesliga game for FSV) differently, noting: “We played badly in the first 20 minutes, didn’t start actively enough.”
He was referring to the start of the second half, in which the 05ers “stood too deep” according to sporting director Martin Schmidt. Coach Bo Svensson, meanwhile, complained about conceding goals too easily, which should never happen like that. “We are behaving badly. We are in the lead and let ourselves be outplayed. That is naive. “
“We behave badly. We’re in the lead and we’re getting outplayed. That’s naive. “
BO SVENSSON
To make matters worse, defender Jeremiah St. Juste dislocated his shoulder and is now in danger of being out. “He’s had this before in January. We will decide after an MRI scan whether it will be treated conservatively or even need surgery,” said Schmidt, who found the counter-attacking goals “very annoying”.
Marcus Ingvartsen, meanwhile, noted that Mainz were “livelier and more active in the first half and stood too far away in the second”. The Dane also complained that they “conceded the same goal twice. A long ball and Awoniyi runs away. “
Kruse is happy about vertical passes
While Ingvartsen scored once against his former club, Awoniyi struck twice. His interim 1:1 was also the 100th Bundesliga goal for the Eisernen, perhaps that was why he “preferred” the goal. However, the Nigerian emphasised that the “three points are the most important thing for us” and that it was “a good fight”.
Max Kruse was a little more talkative, happy that “we played the passes straight forward and not always sideways”. In the end, that was the deciding factor. The creative spirit also admitted, however, that “especially the second goal” had benefited from a Mainz mistake, “but you have to take advantage of that.