The 1. FC Union Berlin suffered a shock opening day loss in Jena. The FC Carl Zeiss Jena beat the Bundesliga team 2:0. The Thuringians set a big warning sign in the preparation for the new season in the Football Regionalliga.
What happened?
The FC Carl Zeiss Jena set a big warning sign in the preparation for the new season in the Football Regionalliga. The Thuringians beat the Bundesliga team 1. FC Union Berlin 2:0 (1:0) in the opening match. The joy was however dampened when Maxim Hessel was injured and carried off the field on a stretcher.
Why it's important for Union
The new Jena coach Marco Grote was from 2022 to 2025 the U19 coach of Union and had saved the „Eisernen“ in 2024 as interim coach on the last matchday before the Bundesliga relegation. The bigger interest for the Zeiss fans among the 7015 spectators in the Arena at Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld was however the starting lineup, which can be understood as a sign for the Regionalliga opener on July 26 against FSV Zwickau.
What comes next?
The 1. FC Union Berlin stands after the opening day loss in Jena on the 11th place in the Bundesliga without points. The team has not yet won a game in the new season and has also not scored or conceded any goals. The Thuringians, on the other hand, have set a good sign with the win against Union Berlin and will hope for a good start in the Regionalliga.
The team
The FC Carl Zeiss Jena has already set a good sign with the starting lineup. The 18-year-old talent Emilio Munser was the most impressive offensive player on the field in the first 45 minutes. The new Jena coach Marco Grote has also brought three summer signings into the starting lineup, namely Elias Löder, Luca Wollschläger and Dion Ajvazi.
The injury
The Jena captain Nils Butzen said after the game: „It didn't look good. I have no good feeling.“ A precise diagnosis will however only be made on Monday. The injured player, Maxim Hessel, was carried off the field on a stretcher and it is not yet known if he will be fit for the Regionalliga opener on July 26 against FSV Zwickau.
The reactions
The new Jena coach Marco Grote was satisfied with the win against Union Berlin after the game. „2:0 against a Bundesliga team is nice. But we can also be satisfied with the way we played,“ said Liesegang.
The statistics
The 1. FC Union Berlin stands after the opening day loss in Jena on the 11th place in the Bundesliga without points. The team has not yet won a game in the new season and has also not scored or conceded any goals. The Thuringians, on the other hand, have set a good sign with the win against Union Berlin and will hope for a good start in the Regionalliga. The Thuringians have already scored 0 goals in the new season and conceded 0 goals. The 1. FC Union Berlin, on the other hand, has already scored 0 goals in the new season and conceded 0 goals.
