1. FC Union Berlin draws 1:1 with fourth-division side Chemnitzer FC

After the restart, Chemnitz upped the pressure. In the 62nd minute, Andrik Markgraf had to be taken off due to injury; Leopold Querfeld came on in his place, having already been brought on as a substitute in the first half. The Berlin defense came under increasing pressure, and in the 78th minute the equalizer fell.

Match Flow and Goals

Jonas Marx was in the right place after a pass from new signing Maximilian Fesser and slotted it in. Shortly afterwards, academy product Amadeus Zamora almost secured the win, but only struck the woodwork.

The match had started with a slight delay because the 1. FC Union team bus had been stuck in traffic. Kickoff therefore took place with around 15 minutes' delay. A total of 5,213 spectators watched the encounter at the Stadion an der Gellertstraße, including about 300 travelling Union supporters.

Atmosphere and Setting

For Chemnitz, who are starting their Regionalliga pre-season, the match officially served as their season opener. More than 5,000 spectators came to the stadium to see head coach Christian Duda's team. CFC are classed as a fourth-division side.

Mauro Lustrinelli, who is Swiss, used a total of 22 players during the course of the match. The workload was therefore spread broadly, also because Union have only been back in training for just under ten days. The Berliners' two previous pre-season friendlies had been against lower-division sides from Rathenow and Lübben.

Outlook on the Remaining Friendlies

Union's upcoming pre-season friendly against Regionalliga side FC Carl Zeiss Jena also hung over the match. According to the information available, Jena are coached by Marco Grote. On Sunday (15:30), Union will face FC Carl Zeiss Jena.

Chemnitz still have three more friendlies on the schedule before their first competitive fixture. The following Wednesday, Duda's side will meet SpVgg Unterhaching. On Saturday, July 11, they travel to Frankenberg to take on 1. FC Schweinfurt, before the dress rehearsal for the season opener takes place on July 18. The opponents will be the U23s of SpVgg Greuther Fürth.

The "Himmelblauen" then begin the new campaign with an away match at Hertha BSC II, according to the reporting. In just under two and a half weeks, the league fixtures get underway for Chemnitz.

After the match, it also remained unclear how serious Andrik Markgraf's knee injury is. A more precise diagnosis was initially pending. Lustrinelli therefore faces the next task of further fine-tuning the squad planning for the upcoming friendlies against Carl Zeiss Jena and the season ahead.