Borussia Dortmund wanted a reaction after their midweek Champions League defeat in Bodø. They got the commitment, but not the goals. A bruising Saturday afternoon at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei ended 0-0, the first ever draw between Union Berlin and Dortmund in a fixture that had always produced goals and a winner.
Things got odd almost immediately. Seconds after kick-off Ethan Nwaneri, on loan from Arsenal, slid into Tom Rothe, and referee Daniel Schlager briefly held up a red card before realising his mistake and swapping it for yellow. Four more bookings followed before the interval, and the tone was set: plenty of duels, very little football.
Dortmund had far more of the ball, around 70 percent by Sportschau’s count, yet the expected-goals figures finished at only 0.88 for the visitors and 0.70 for Union. Before the break Nwaneri mishit an attempt while completely unmarked, and Kobel had to dive to keep out Imeri’s awkward set piece from near the touchline. Beier, a year older on matchday, missed narrowly from Ryerson’s delivery early in the second half, and late on Guirassy’s close-range header also failed to find the target.
There was a worrying moment too. Konstantinos Karetsas, sent on in the second half, went over on his ankle after a challenge by Rani Khedira and had to be helped off only minutes later. Sporting director Ole Book could only say he hoped the injury was not too serious.
Coach Niko Kovac praised the passion but not the end product, saying his team lacked speed and precision in the final third and that a draw was too little for Dortmund’s ambitions. Book was blunter, calling for braver play all over the pitch. Union coach Mauro Lustrinelli, by contrast, celebrated “a beautiful 0-0” and his side’s second clean sheet.
The point keeps Dortmund unbeaten after six league games and level on 14 points with Bayern, who thrashed Leipzig later in the day. For Union, the draw was not enough to climb out of the relegation places. Dortmund travel to Sabah in the Champions League on Tuesday before facing Eintracht Frankfurt next Saturday.
