All square between Union and Frankurt on Riera’s debut

Union Berlin and Eintracht Frankfurt played out a 1-1 draw at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei this evening.

A tense contest defined by two contrasting styles finally caught fire in the closing stages. Nathaniel Brown’s sumptuous volley had Albert Riera dreaming of a winning debut, only for Leopold Querfeld’s late penalty to earn Union a share of the spoils.

The first half began at a frenetic pace, fuelled by a raucous Stadion An der Alten Försterei crowd celebrating Union’s 60th birthday. Intensity was never lacking from either side, yet both struggled to carve out clear chances or produce the attacking incision required to truly trouble the opposition.

Frankfurt’s ambition under Riera was evident, with neat combinations in tight areas offering encouraging signs. However, teething problems surfaced in the final third against a well-drilled Union back three, who largely kept Arnaud Kalimuendo quiet throughout.

True to type, Union sat in their compact defensive block and allowed Frankfurt to dominate possession without conceding much space, instead looking to strike on the counter. Steffen Baumgart’s side registered the first shot on target in the 40th minute, when Aljoscha Kemlein’s fierce, swerving volley forced a superb fingertip save from Kauã Santos, sending the sides in level at the break after an energetic but cagey opening period.

Frankfurt appeared to raise the tempo after the restart, perhaps spurred on by Riera’s words at half-time. Ten minutes in they fashioned their best opportunity of the match so far, as neat work down the flank ended with Kalimuendo laying the ball into the path of Oscar Højlund, who could only skew his effort wide when one-on-one with compatriot Frederik Rønnow.

The contest soon reverted to the same pattern as the first half – a high-intensity arm wrestle with neither side able to gain sustained control. The introduction of Livan Burcu added some impetus for Union, and on 75 minutes the substitute slipped Derrick Köhn through on the left, only for the full-back’s thunderous effort to crash back off the woodwork.

Just as the match seemed destined to peter out into a stalemate, it burst into life in the final ten minutes. Good work from substitute Ayoube Amaimouni led to his cross being half-cleared into a dangerous area, where Mohamed Dahoud air-kicked before Nathaniel Brown pounced to fire a precise half-volley past Rønnow.

The lead lasted three minutes. Oscar Højlund was dismissed for hauling down Rani Khedira in the area, conceding a penalty in the process. Leopold Querfeld stepped up and squeezed a tame spot-kick past Santos – one the goalkeeper arguably should have saved – to level the scores with three minutes remaining.

Union nearly snatched a dramatic winner in the 90th minute after a sloppy Frankfurt pass fell straight to Alex Král. The midfielder drove forward before feeding Andrej Ilić, but the striker took too long to pull the trigger, allowing Dahoud to recover and make a vital block to ensure the points were shared.

It was not the perfect debut for Riera, but there were plenty of positives for Frankfurt, who move up to seventh temporarily and halt a run of four consecutive defeats in all competitions. Union, meanwhile, extend their winless run to five matches but sit ninth pending other results.