The 1. FC Union secured a 4-2 win over Braunschweig in the cup on August 18. The victory was a gift for President Dirk Zingler’s 62nd birthday. 50‑year‑old coach Mauro Lustrinelli led the Ironmen in his first official match after a trial period with only one win in eight games. In his press conference he said, “A game is always a rehearsal test to see where we do well and where we still need to improve.”
Braunschweig opened the game with a free‑kick that the Union defence failed to clear, scoring 1-0 in the 11th minute. The equaliser came in the 31st minute when Juranovic delivered a corner and centre‑back Van den Bosch headed in for 1-1. In the second half, Braunschweig’s Marie scored from 14 metres in the 54th minute, followed by a 2-2 through a corner by Rothe in the 63rd minute.
Union, however, displayed the desired offense. In the 72nd minute, Ansah used his speed, but the rebound landed at Ljubicic, who cleared the 3-2. Just before the final whistle, in the 90+4 minute, Ljubicic scored again to finish the game at 3-3.
The cup progression to the second round was therefore a full success for Union and a personal highlight for President Zingler.
