Asllani doubles up as Hoffenheim edge out Union Berlin in six-goal thriller

The 23-year-old marksman continued his fine form by netting a brace in a 4-2 win over 1.FC Union Berlin in Köpenick.

Christian Ilzer’s side displayed breathtaking firepower amid their victory in Berlin this afternoon and they were first to register a shot on target inside 5 minutes. Doekhi was beaten to the ball by Touré who fed Asllani, but Frederik Rønnow was alive to the danger and made a smart save to repel the young striker. 

Union eventually found their feet as Ilyas Ansah showed his technical abilities to dig a cross out for Oli Burke who glanced wide. The Scottish forward could’ve opened the scoring on 19 minutes as he rounded Baumann but Bernardo cleared the effort off the goal-line spectacularly. 

The Köpenick club prioritised counterattacks, however they quickly fell behind 2-0 just before the break. Leo Querfeld’s reckless challenge on Touré allowed Andrej Kramarić to open his account from the penalty spot. The Sinsheim club doubles their lead seconds later as Fisnik Asllani glanced home from a Lemperle cross. 

Union briefly halved the deficit inside four second-half minutes as Baumann failed to collect a cross which was bundled home by Ilyas Ansah. However, Hoffenheim restored their two-goal cushion as Touré’s incredible pace preceded a cross that deflected perfectly into the path of Asllani for a tap in. 

Goals continued to flow in Köpenick as the Berlin club found the back of the net for a second time on 71 minutes. Christopher Trimmel’s corner, doubles on by Ansah, made it’s way to Rothe who thumped home from 8 yards out. The atmosphere lifted once more in the Stadion an der Alten Försterei.

Pushing hard to salvage a point meant Steffen Baumgart’s side threw caution to the wind defensively. This resulted in a red card for Tom Rothe who hauled Tim Lemperle back by the collar in the box. With Andrej Kramarić withdrawn, Lemperle stepped up and cooly fired a Panenka penalty down the heart of Rønnow’s goal to ensure the three points in Berlin.