Leonardo Bonucci took a seat on the bench and stayed on it until the 70th minute of the game. From there he had an excellent view of what was happening in front of him. Without commenting on it later, it must be taken for granted that he didn’t particularly like what he saw there. His new colleagues from 1. FC Union lost 0: 3 against RB Leipzig, a disgrace and the first home defeat since the beginning of 2022. So for more than a year and a half.
Ironically, a number of spectators who crept home in a state of distress complained that day. After this week of all days. Against this opponent of all things. Only on Friday did the Berliners announce the commitment of Leonardo Bonucci and thus enrich themselves with a special personality. For a long time, the Italian was one of the best in his field worldwide, he had won the Italian championship several times with Juventus Turin, and with Italy’s selection he became European champion in 2021.
They have never had a man of his rank at 1. FC Union Berlin. Even at the age of 36 as an athlete, he should give the defense stability in the future. Against Leipzig, however, coach Urs Fischer did without his new defense chief.
A lot is currently new for the club, not just the Bonucci personnel. In two weeks, the first game in the club’s history in the Champions League is coming up, it’s going to the Estadio Bernabeu to Real Madrid. Of all things. No club represents this competition more than the record winner. Maybe all in all it was a bit too much for the brave Berliners, Madrid, the Champions League and Bonucci. Concentrating on day-to-day business was obviously difficult for them, the team hadn’t been as weak in front of their home crowd as they were against Leipzig for what felt like an eternity. This was particularly annoying for the fans, as they reject no competitor in the Bundesliga as passionately as the commercial product RB, which they see as artificial. On Sunday, too, they were silent again for the first quarter of an hour in protest.
Turnaround in the second half
The initial phase was still shaky on both sides, but Leipzig gradually managed to work their way into the game. RB made fewer mistakes from minute to minute, the ball ran better and better through their own ranks. Union, on the other hand, was often the second winner in many duels, usually at least one Leipzig player was faster. There were hardly any dangerous scenes in the first half. At the beginning of the second period, the game tipped in the direction of the guests within a few minutes. First, Xavi Simmons scored the lead with a remarkable long-range shot from 18 meters, then Union’s new attacker Kevin Volland rudely kicked Mohamed Simakan. The consequence was dismissal. Leipzig had an easy time with one more man. Benjamin Sesko, who, like Simmons, only moved to Leipzig in the summer, scored two more goals in the final stages of the away win that was ultimately safe.
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“It is extremely difficult against this opponent when you are outnumbered. We still wanted to equalize, then opened up and were punished,” said Union’s new midfielder Kral. His trainer Urs Fischer found: “RB has beaten the somewhat finer blade.” The victory is therefore in order. The game was overshadowed by an emergency doctor’s call, which meanwhile caused silence on both sides.
