Union Berlin won Damir Kreilach's farewell friendly 1-0 against HNK Rijeka in Croatia. Tim Skarke scored the only goal of the night in the fifth minute, assisted by Jeong Woo-yeong.
The match on Saturday evening at Stadion Kantrida was all about honouring club legend Damir Kreilach. The 37-year-old, who made 157 competitive appearances and scored 33 goals for Union between 2013 and 2018, was celebrated by both teams and 8,500 spectators. Around 850 travelling Union fans staged a large choreography with his portrait and the number 19, lit flares and unveiled a banner reading 'Damir Kreilach, Fußballgott'. Kreilach played for Union in the first half and switched to the jersey of his youth club Rijeka after the break. After the final whistle, both teams formed a guard of honour for the former captain.
“It was a special and emotional evening and I am still very happy that the match worked out,” said Kreilach. Union's current captain Christopher Trimmel added, “I think we were able to give Damir a beautiful farewell. That makes me very happy for him.”
The win came for Union after a difficult spell in the Bundesliga. Mauro Lustrinelli's team sits 17th in the table with just one point from four matches, having lost their last three league games in a row, including a 7-0 defeat at Bayern Munich. Goalscorer Skarke is currently the team's top scorer this season with two goals. The next challenge is a home match against seventh-placed SV Elversberg on October 10th. The squad hopes to carry the positive mood from Croatia into a key phase of the season as they look to climb away from the relegation zone.
The report in full is at sportschau.de
On Monday, Leopold Querfeld shared insights into the dressing room after the 1-0 win in Rijeka. The defender showed teammates eating pizza and making funny faces in his Instagram story. "It hasn't been this relaxed in the dressing room lately," said Querfeld. The team, sitting in 17th place with one point, used the free weekend to recover.
