AUhed by the former national player Max Kruse, Union Berlin screwed up Jan-Moritz Lichte’s debut as head coach of FSV Mainz 05 and threw Rheinhessen even deeper into chaos. Union finished Mainz after goals from Kruse (13th), Marcus Ingvartsen (49th), Marvin Friedrich (63rd) and Joel Pohjanpalo (64th) with 4: 0 (1: 0), celebrated his highest victory in the Football Bundesliga – and is in third place ahead of the weekend’s games.
“It was a very good game of ours for over 90 minutes, it was just right,” said Union captain Christopher Trimmel at DAZN: “We got more quality across the board and made it into the Bundesliga. We made great transfers, it’s just fun. “
For the extremely weak Mainz it now looks very bleak. After three games, the Rheinhessen stand pointless in the table cellar, the change in the coaching bench from Achim Beierlorzer to former assistant coach Lichte did not have the desired effect – and the appearance in Berlin gives no hope of improvement.
Kruse as a trump card
Union Berlin, on the other hand, is getting better and faster. With four points from three games, coach Urs Fischer’s team is on target. Kruse scored his first Bundesliga goal since April 2019, when the 32-year-old was still in action for Werder Bremen.
In front of 4400 spectators in the stadium at the Alte Försterei, Unions Fischer sent Kruse to the field for the first time from the start. The veteran used the hosts’ first nice attack to take the lead. Sheraldo Becker pushed right through to the goal line and crossed the long post as soft as butter, from there Kruse could head in without an opponent.
Mainz coach Lichte immediately sent his players forward again, but the guests rarely came into the last third. Although the 05 midfield presented itself with a strong run and ball safety, Union Defensive was extremely compact and strong in duels and allowed little.
Mainz too harmless
Union became more and more secure with increasing playing time and waited for the mistakes of the guests who also came. In the 27th minute, the insecure central defender Alexander Hack ran under the ball, and the conspicuous Becker stabbed right through to the goal line. This time Kruse could not accommodate his flank in the goal.
Mainz remained too harmless. The coordination between midfield and attack rarely worked, Jean-Philippe Mateta was the only leader in the attack who was completely on his own. Apparently the last weeks of chaos with players uprising and coaching changes had left their mark.
There were also gross defensive carvers. After another long cross from the right, Ingvartsen came at the far post completely free to shoot and scored the 2-0. The atmospheric fans celebrated their team loudly, Mainz had little to oppose. When the advancing defender Marvin Friedrich and the substitute newcomer Pohjanpalo increased it to 4-0 with a double strike, there was no stopping the Alte Försterei.
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