DFB-Pokal: Union Berlin host Eintracht Braunschweig – Marie strikes early for the visitors

The Berliners reacted to falling behind with mounting pressure. In front of their home crowd, the team tried to seize control of proceedings and find an equaliser as quickly as possible. Braunschweig defended in disciplined fashion and waited to hit on the counter.

Braunschweig lineup and personnel

The visitors fielded the following starting XI: R. Hoffmann – Aydin, Ehlers, Frenkert, Katterbach – Flick, Di Benedetto, Marie – Opoku, Entrup, Zé. Coach Mauro Lustrinelli, who had led Eintracht into the second division, thus placed his trust in a well-established core.

Braunschweig had to do without, among others, goalkeeper Matheo Raab and forward Marin Ljusicic, both of whom had repeatedly cropped up in the previous reports on the match as personnel matters. There were no confirmed details about their availability for this game beforehand.

Situation heading into kick-off

The situation ahead of kick-off was clear: Union Berlin, who finished in the upper mid-table of the Bundesliga last season, are the clear favourites against a newly promoted second-division side. In the DFB-Pokal, however, such roles have frequently produced surprises, which is why the Berliners took the task seriously from the outset.

Marie himself is one of the young players in the Braunschweig squad. At 21, he is one of those expected to gain further experience in the new second-division season. His early goal against Union Berlin is likely to give his confidence an additional boost.

The second half had to show whether Union Berlin could translate their superiority on the ball into goals, or whether Braunschweig would hold on to their lead until the final whistle. One thing was clear before kick-off already: whoever loses this round is out of the competition, while the winner advances to the next round of the cup.