The Berlin fans sang “leader, front runner” and “German champion only the FCU” and the Union sympathizer Steffen Baumgart, who had previously cried passionately about the referees, got enthusiastic when he analyzed the new table leader.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a team play as well as they did in the first half hour,” said the 1. FC Köln coach after the 1-0 (0-1) home defeat against the club he was at is a member and plays in the traditional team.
“They are much further than us. We were inferior in all respects,” said Baumgart, who has been closely associated with Union since he was a professional and whose wife worked in the Berlin fan shop: “It’s surprising that they are leaders. The fundamental But not development. It’s just a bit surprising how well the processes work, even though there was a big upheaval.”
Unions Trimmel: “We’re on a roll”
Now Union is the league leader for the first time, although FC Bayern Munich or RB Leipzig were among the opponents on the first six matchdays. “We’re on the right track,” said Berlin captain Christopher Trimmel: “If the team works, if the shifting works, then every opponent has a hard time against us. In the end, it almost always works. That’s why we’re where we are we’re standing.”
Coach Urs Fischer did not leave the path of objectivity on this remarkable September 11, 2022 either. “The fans can celebrate,” he said: “I see things a little differently. But what makes me happy when I look at the table is the 14 points we have.” First place is “a snapshot”.
For colleague Baumgart, the performance of the referees are meanwhile a permanent annoyance. And so he almost talked himself into a rage. He didn’t say goodbye to referee Benjamin Cortus with a handshake, “because I no longer want to accept these achievements,” he said: “Because it gets on my balls.”
Baumgart was annoyed by foul ratings and the hand penalty that Jordan Siebatcheu missed against FC keeper Marvin Schwäbe (10th). Luca Kilian, who was beheaded on his upper arm with his back to the ball, saw yellow for the action and even yellow-red nine minutes before the end. That was “ridiculous,” Baumgart scolded: “At some point I’ll be fed up. It pisses me off.” The referees would always talk about “respect and that kind of shit”: “It would be nice if people also had respect for our work.”
The Köpenickers, who lost 1-0 at home to Royale Union Saint-Gilloise on Thursday, won with an own goal by Timo Hübers (3rd). Also positive for the capital: Timo Baumgartl was in the squad for the first time since he was diagnosed with testicular cancer in April, but he was not substituted on.
Cologne coach Baumgart in his element
Baumgart found it difficult to concentrate on this game. Beforehand, he had said that after the riots before the Conference League game in Nice on Thursday (1-1), “you couldn’t go back to business as usual”. In contrast to his players, who were still in the cabin, the coach had followed the incidents at close range because he was locked in the stands. The emotional state was “okay again,” said Baumgart before the game at DAZN. It is still “pictures that you will not forget”.
In terms of sport, the FC coach on the sidelines was back to 180 in the hectic and eventful initial phase. When Hübers deflected a shot from Becker into his own net, which was unstoppable for Schwäbe, he was stunned at first. When Luca Kilian got a header against the upper arm with his back to the shooter Robin Knoche and referee Benjamin Cortus whistled for a penalty, he was really upset. And when the Swabian, who had been outstanding in the past few weeks, held against Siebatcheu, who had returned to the team after a muscle injury, Baumgart celebrated, gesticulating wildly in the direction of fourth official Thomas Gorniak. Then he explained why.
