In a game of few chances, Union Berlin snatched a victory late on against Bayer Leverkusen at the Stadion an der Alten Försterei thanks to Cedric Teuchert. 

With this attritional win, Union’s dream season continues as they now move above Borussia Dortmund into one of the Champions League spots. 

The fairytale goes on for Union

In only their second ever Bundesliga season, Union Berlin seem to be going from strength to strength as they have knocked off yet another top side, having previously beaten Borussia Dortmund and drawn with Bayern Munich.

Despite struggling to get into the match for much of the first half, they showed their fighting spirit to remain astute and restrict the Werkself to only a few real chances.

The team from Köpenick will also feel they should have gone into the break a goal up with defender Marvin Friedrich missing a golden opportunity from a corner. 

With Sheraldo Becker forced off early on due to an injury, Union brought on Teuchert, who would go on to be the unlikely hero of the match. Union’s summer arrival from Hannover 96 stayed cool under pressure to convert a one-on-one chance past Lukas Hradecky, before being substituted off with his work complete. 

For a team who would have targeted remaining in the league at the start of the season, Union’s remarkable showing this term may even take them to Europe.

Leverkusen performances less than convincing of late

Having had an excellent start to this campaign and not losing until Matchday 13, Peter Bosz’s side are now without a win in four. 

Frenchman Moussa Diaby enjoyed a stellar performance on both flanks, though he was unable to find a way to convert his side’s attacks into goals. He was not helped by a misfiring Patrick Schick, to be fair.

Looking very vulnerable on the break and uninspiring going forward, Leverkusen struggled to impose themselves on the match against a resilient Union side. The fact they have now registered only one clean sheet in seven matches will not be lost on the Dutch manager.

The recent drop off in form is certainly cause for concern. As a result, they will need to improve quickly and rediscover their pre-Christmas swagger if they are to have any chance of finishing in the top four.

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