Matchday 21 Recap - 1. FC Union 2 - 0 SV Sandhausen

Union Berlin: Gikiewicz; Trimmel, Hübner, Friedrich, Reichel; Rapp (Zulj), Prömel, Kroos; Abdullahi (Gogia), Andersson, Mane (Mees)

Sandhausen: Schuhen; Karl (Jansen), Knipping (Behrens), Verlaat, Paqarada, Diekmeier; Linsmayer, Zhirov, Taffertshofer (Vollmann); Wooten, Schleusener

Goals:
Union Berlin: Andersson - 11; Gogia - 87

Oh captain, my captain! source: Union Berlin

There’s not much to say about Saturday’s home win over Sandhausen. This is partially because it was a relatively uneventful game and partially because of the tragic news that a 19-year-old fan of the club was killed by an unknown attacker in the hours following the game. Needless to say, Union Berlin fans around the world are thinking of his family and friends during this difficult time.

There was good news before the start of the game, as Union Berlin announced that captain Christopher Trimmel has signed a two-year contract extension with the club. A valuable member of the squad since he arrived in Berlin in 2014, Trimmel’s leadership, defensive prowess, and -- you knew I was going to say it -- remarkable set-pieces have been key to Union’s success this year. (Seriously, if Trimmel's set-pieces started a religion, I'd be the first disciple.)

It was key for Union to bounce back with three points at home after their disappointing last-gasp defeat away at St. Pauli. Urs Fischer replaced the suspended Manuel Schmiedebach in midfield with newcomer Nicolai Rapp. In defense, Trimmel and Reichel returned from their own suspensions (it feels like literally every player on this team has just served or is on the verge of serving a yellow card suspension), while Suleiman Abdullahi joined Carlos Mane and Sebastian Andersson up top.

While I would have preferred that Marcel Hartel retain a sport in the starting 11, it’s also hard to argue with any of Fischer’s choices here -- especially when the home side jumped out to a relatively early lead thanks to an Andersson goal in the 11th minute. Felix Kroos attempted to double the lead shortly afterward but was ruled offside.

While Union were the better side, Sandhausen fought back hard enough to ensure that the majority of the match felt like a stalemate. The two sides were equal in shots, with 10 apiece; however, Union boasted five on target, while Sandhausen, sadly (well, not really), had none.

To refresh a tiring squad, Fischer brought on Gogia, Zulj, and Mees in quick succession in the second half. His decisions eventually won out in the form on a game-securing second goal at the 87th-minute mark, created by a Mees counterattack and finished by Gogia. Was the match a classic? Absolutely not. But was it a necessary win? You better believe it.

Thanks to Köln’s defeat of St. Pauli, Union have regained the third-place promotion playoff spot in the table. While it’s increasingly looking like Hamburg and Köln will secure first and second place this season and yo-yo back up to the top flight, Union have an excellent chance of securing the playoff, which would likely pit them against the likes of Stuttgart, Hannover, or Nürnberg -- all teams that Union faced in the 2. Bundesliga in the relatively recent past.