Fans enjoy firework festival as Union Berlin held 0-0 by Hamburg in Bundesliga
BERLIN (AP) — There were more fireworks off the field than on it Sunday as Union Berlin drew 0-0 with promoted Hamburger SV in the Bundesliga.
Hamburg ‘keeper Daniel Heuer Fernandes saved Andrej Ilić’s early penalty in the closest either team came to scoring.
The penalty was also missed by many of Union’s ultra fans, who only streamed into their places in the “forest-side” end of the stadium after 17 minutes when their presence was announced with a huge roar. Hamburg ultras entered the visitors’ end a few minutes later.
The supporters’ rivalry continued after the break when the Hamburg fans displayed a huge tifo showing the team crest with the slogan, “Shout it out with pride if you carry this love inside.”
The Union fans waited for a countdown and then set off a massive synchronized pyrotechnic display that lit up the whole forest-side of the stadium with the resulting smoke causing a delay in play for several minutes.
The Hamburg fans responded some minutes later with a pyrotechnic display of their own, sending more clouds of smoke wafting above the stadium. The game continued, but neither team could score.
Hamburg midfielder Fabio Vieira was sent off in stoppage time for a high tackle on Leopold Querfeld.
It was only the fourth competitive meeting between the clubs after two clashes in the second division in 2018-19. Their first meeting was the German Championship final in 1923 when Union was still playing as Union Oberschöneweide. Hamburg won the first of its six German titles 3-0.
Stuttgart’s revival
Josha Vagnoman scored late as Stuttgart overcame a poor start to beat Cologne 2-1.
Jakub Kaminski fired Cologne ahead in the fourth minute, but Ermedin Demirović converted a penalty for the visitors in the 28th after he’d been fouled in the area by Cologne ’keeper Marvin Schwäbe.
Cologne had dominated to that point. But Stuttgart improved after the goal and finally got its reward when Vagnoman scored in the 81st after being sent through by Angelo Stiller.
It was Stuttgart’s first league win away from home and its third straight win across all competitions including Thursday’s 2-1 win over Celta Vigo in the Europa League.
Freiburg drew with Hoffenheim 1-1 in the early game.
Bayern Munich leads with a maximum 15 points from five rounds followed by Borussia Dortmund – the only other unbeaten side – on 13. Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt complete the top four.
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