Matchday 12: 1. FC Union Berlin 2-0 Borussia Mönchengladbach

With six goals so far this season, Sebastian Andersson leads Union and is the fourth in the league's top scorers list.
Source: Union Berlin.

1. FC Union Berlin: Gikiewicz; Subotic, Friedrich, Schlotterbeck; Trimmel, Kroos (Schmiedebach), Gentner, Lenz; Ingvartsen (Ryerson), Ujah (Bülter), Andersson

Borussia Mönchengladbach: Sommer; Elvedi (Strobl), Ginter, Kramer; Wendt, Zakaria, Neuhaus (Stindl), Laimer; Plea, Thuram (Embolo), Herrmann

Goals:
Union: Ujah (15), Andersson (90+1)

How many times does a shock result have to occur before it stops being described as shocking? Because, for the second time this season, Union Berlin handily beat the team at the top of the Bundesliga. While this game was against a different team than it was the first time around (though still one whose name begins with Borussia), there’s no denying that it was a giant-killing. Yet with four wins from their last five games, Union are showing on a regular basis that despite an inglorious start to top-flight life, they do have the quality to hang with the big boys of the Bundesliga. 

It's true that Borussia Mönchengladbach are a somewhat unlikely league leader; they scooped up five titles in less than a decade during a period of dominance in the 1970s but haven’t won the league since. But with the hiring of a much-hyped new coach in Marco Rose, the retention of quality players such as goalkeeper Yann Sommer, and the addition of rising stars such as Marcus “Son of Lilian” Thuram, they have outperformed expectations and entered the weekend with a four-point lead on second place. DW described their matchup with Union Berlin as the “battle of the overachievers,” which is honestly pretty accurate.

Urs Fischer made two changes to the starting XI that secured Union’s first-ever away win in the top flight at Mainz before the international break. (Speaking of international break: shout out to Christopher Trimmel and Sebastian Andersson, who helped their respective national teams qualify for Euro 2020!) With Robert Andrich suspended due to yellow card accumulation, Felix Kroos took his place alongside Christian Genter in midfield, while Anthony Ujah got a much-deserved start up top along Sebastian Andersson and Marcus Ingvartsen.

Ujah showed just how worthy of a spot in the starting XI he was when he opened the scoring in the 15th minute with a beautiful header. It was the culmination of a counter-attack that was so perfectly executed, it should be used as an example in coaching seminars. Christopher Lenz -- again showing that he may be the biggest beneficiary of Fischer’s switch to three at the back -- won the ball from a sloppy Gladbach turnover and gave it to Ingvartsen, who sped up the pitch to assist Ujah.

Despite having their usual minority of possession (final stats have pegged it at around 37%), Union were not lacking in dangerous chances on goal. Indeed, they finished the game with six shots on target, as opposed to Gladbach’s two. What Urs Fischer’s team has shown time and time again, with increased smoothness and skill, is that they don’t need possession if they are quick-thinking and quick-moving enough on the counter. Gladbach had chances throughout, but with the exception of a tricky bounce of the goalpost from Patrick Herrmann when the game was still scoreless, and run on goal by Alessandre Plea towards the end of the first half, there weren’t many that seriously threatened goalkeeper Rafal Gikiewicz.

After nearly throwing away the win against Mainz right before the international break, the second half against Gladbach was all about holding the lead. Needless to say, the team managed a lot better this time around! The rest of the match played out relatively evenly, though Gladbach began to come into the match more and more as Union grew increasingly tired. Fischer remedied this by bringing on fresh legs in the form of Manuel Schmiedebach for Kroos, Marius Bülter for Ujah, and Julian Ryerson for Ingvartsen. It was the latter that proved the death blow for Gladbach.

Ryerson has been scarcely seen this season since slotting into the backline in place of a suspended Christopher Trimmel to help Union Berlin secure promotion to the Bundesliga at the expense of Stuttgart. Yet he made the most of his brief cameo on Saturday when he sprinted up the side of the pitch in stoppage time to assist Sebastian Andersson. With a decisive header on the part of the Swede -- who also scored for his country on the international break -- the score was now 2-0 and the game was essentially over.

To score two goals on a keeper as competent as Sommer, and to keep a clean sheet against such a prolific attack as Gladbach’s, is no small feat. There’s no doubt that the always-festive atmosphere at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei -- even more exuberant than usual on Saturday with the team bidding a gracious farewell to a longtime capo -- has made it a hard place for even the strongest Bundesliga sides to get a result.

Now in 11th place, nine points clear of Köln in the automatic relegation spot and five points clear of Hertha (heh), Union Berlin are showing that with hard work and some excellent tactics, you don’t need to have the biggest stars or highest payroll in the league to come away with a convincing win. They travel to Gelsenkirchen this Friday to take on a resurgent Schalke, who have been much improved this season under new coach David Wagner.