Berlin faced a challenging weekend with Union Berlin’s latest performance marking another setback as they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Holstein Kiel at home in the Bundesliga.
Armin Gigovi? delivered for Kiel before halftime, capitalizing on a swift counterattack orchestrated by captain Timo Becker and featuring Shuto Machino from Japan.
This victory served as a historic moment for Kiel, being their maiden triumph in an away Bundesliga game, lifting them from the bottom of the standings, now one point ahead of Heidenheim.
Union Berlin, dealing with a third straight loss following their 6-0 defeat at Borussia Dortmund, now find themselves in 14th place, merely six points clear of the relegation playoff zone.
Upcoming challenges against Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayern Munich, and Freiburg loom large as they aim to overcome recent setbacks.
In the lead-up to the game, the German soccer federation’s sports court rejected Union’s appeal against a previous case awarding Bochum a 2-0 victory after their goalkeeper was injured during a match against Union due to an incident involving a fan.
The controversial decision, which implications for the relegation zone, remains contested with Union, St. Pauli, and Kiel filing further appeals.
Elsewhere in the league, Freiburg failed to seize an opportunity to reclaim fourth place in their standings, settling for a 0-0 draw with Augsburg during the late Sunday match.
The visitors had a promising chance through new winter signing Jan-Niklas Beste, but his effort was thwarted by Augsburg’s goalkeeper, Finn Dahmen.
Near the final whistle, Augsburg forward Steve Mounié came tantalizingly close to securing a last-minute victory, only to see his effort ricochet off the post.
Freiburg now sits in fifth place, a point shy of Mainz, who currently occupy the league’s final Champions League qualification spot.
