Borussia Dortmund were held to a goalless draw by Union Berlin at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei on Saturday, the first draw between the clubs in their history. Niko Kovač's side had most of the ball in steady rain but rarely troubled Frederik Rønnow, and substitute Konstantinos Karetsas was helped off with an ankle injury minutes after coming on.
Match facts
- Result: Union Berlin 0-0 Borussia Dortmund (half-time 0-0)
- Competition: Bundesliga, Matchday 6
- Venue: Stadion An der Alten Försterei, Berlin
- Scorers: None
- Red cards: None
- Attendance: 22,012
- Next: Sabah v Borussia Dortmund (Champions League), Tuesday 20 October; FC Augsburg v Union Berlin (Bundesliga), Saturday 24 October
How the match unfolded
The game opened with a mistake by referee Daniel Schlager. Ethan Nwaneri caught a Union player with a challenge inside the first minute and Schlager showed a red card, before realising he had pulled out the wrong card and changing it to yellow. Waldemar Anton, booked in the seventh minute, and Serhou Guirassy, booked in the 14th, followed Nwaneri into the referee's notebook in a physical opening.
Dortmund controlled possession, with Julian Ryerson pushing forward on the right, but they created little. Tim Skarke shot wide for Union after a quick break in the 28th minute. The best openings of the half came in stoppage time: Nwaneri scuffed a shot from inside the box straight at Rønnow, and at the other end Gregor Kobel had to keep out a Kastriot Imeri free-kick.
Dortmund raised the tempo after the break. In the 56th minute Maximilian Beier met a Ryerson cross from close range but sent his effort just wide. Union kept looking for the counter, and Skarke raced clear soon afterwards only to shoot over the bar.
Kovač sent on Karetsas and Fábio Silva in the 62nd minute, but Karetsas went down with an ankle injury shortly afterwards and needed help to leave the pitch. Mathis Albert replaced him.
Guirassy missed with a header from a Ryerson free-kick in the 79th minute, and Rønnow saved his shot from the right side of the box in the 89th. In stoppage time Rani Khedira narrowly missed with a header for Union, Albert headed wide for Dortmund, and Felix Uduokhai headed off target from a late Union corner.
What it means for both clubs
Dortmund are still unbeaten in the Bundesliga after six games, with four wins and two draws, and move to 14 points. But they have now gone three matches without a win in all competitions, after the 2-2 draw with Werder Bremen and Wednesday's 1-0 Champions League defeat at Bodø/Glimt. Kovač, who blamed his own rotation for that defeat, made five changes to his starting line-up in Berlin, bringing back Nico Schlotterbeck, Ryerson, Felix Nmecha, Nwaneri and Guirassy.
For Union, it was a second clean sheet in a row, following their win over Elversberg in their previous league game, and it takes them to five points. Head coach Mauro Lustrinelli called it "a nice 0-0". Union are 16th, in the relegation play-off place.
What happens next
Dortmund travel to Baku to face Sabah in the Champions League on Tuesday before hosting Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga next Saturday. Union visit FC Augsburg on the same day.
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