Union Berlin climb back to top of Bundesliga

Doekhi heads 97th-minute winner to help side hold one-point lead over Bayern with 2-1 win over Gladbach


AFP October 31, 2022

BERLIN:

Union Berlin's Danilho Doekhi headed in a 97th-minute winner to send his side back to the top of the Bundesliga in a 2-1 home win over Borussia Moenchengladbach on Sunday.

Union completed a comeback from a goal down in the last second of the game, sending the crowd into raptures.

Union hold a one-point lead in the table over defending champions Bayern Munich, who thrashed Mainz 6-2 on Saturday.

Union, who have been unlikely leaders since early September, led at no point in the match until the late twist.

Union's Dutch striker Sheraldo Becker looked to have given the home side the lead in the 29th minute with his seventh goal of the season, but the strike was ruled out by VAR for a handball in the build-up.

Just three minutes later, Gladbach took the lead in the simplest fashion, with Nico Elvedi heading in a Lars Stindl corner.

With Union at risk of a second loss in a row, manager Urs Fischer brought on the cavalry, making five changes in a 10-minute period to try and get at least a point out of the match.

The changes worked, with Kevin Behrens heading in the equaliser just five minutes after being brought onto the field.

With the home fans in full voice, Union pushed for a winner and thought they had claimed the three points in the 87th minute, but Christopher Trimmel's goal was ruled out by VAR.

The home fans did not need to wait long however, with midfielder Jamie Leweling crossing for Doekhi to head home with the last touch of the match.

"We did not give up and we believed in ourselves," Fischer told DAZN.

"It was a fantastic second half."

A disappointed Gladbach coach Daniel Farke said: "At the Alte Foersterei you need to stay awake – and to concede a late goal in this fashion, is difficult to bear."

Later on Sunday, Freiburg leapfrogged Borussia Dortmund into third with a 2-0 win away against Schalke thanks to two goals from Italian midfielder Vincenzo Grifo.

Usually a free-kick specialist, Grifo scored a superb open play goal in first-half injury time, before adding a second from the penalty spot in the 61st minute.

Grifo now has six goals for the season while Schalke finish the weekend stuck to the foot of the table.

In Sunday's other game, seventh-placed Hoffenheim held on for a 1-1 draw away against Cologne.

Cologne, who played away against Czech side Slovacko just 48 hours before on Friday and fought unsuccessfully to have this game postponed, took the lead on 13 minutes through Florian Kainz.

Former Dortmund striker Jacob Bruun Larsen equalised for Hoffenheim in the 35th minute -- the Dane's first goal since February.

In the closing stages, former Liverpool centre-back Ozan Kabak picked up a second yellow for fouling Kainz and was given his marching orders.

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