Sheraldo Becker had given everything. On the lawn and also afterwards in front of the guest block. After the 2-0 win against Hertha BSC in the Olympic Stadium, the 1. FC Union striker ran through the catacombs, lightly dressed only in his functional underwear, and didn’t even think about stopping. The same goes for his team. The Berlin derby on Saturday sends a clear signal both nationally and locally.
After the fifth win against Hertha in a row, Union is more than ever the undisputed city champion, and the gap between the two Berlin Bundesliga teams has never been bigger than it is now. Not on Saturday, when Hertha was even the slightly better team and coach Urs Fischer rightly spoke of a lucky win, but overall.
While Union tinkers through Europe, has chances for the Champions League and is pretty much exactly where Hertha dreamed of being with the Windhorst millions not so long ago, the blue and whites are staggering from defeat to defeat in the harsh reality. When the opposing coach says almost sympathetically that he is keeping his fingers crossed for Hertha in the relegation battle so that they can play a derby next year, that must hurt the penultimate table.
The Köpenickers have not known such worries for years. Even if it seems inevitable that Union’s extraordinary development will eventually falter, the team always excels. Only four points are missing from the official goal for the season, but staying up in the league has long since ceased to be a benchmark in this outstanding season. The winter additions are a clear sign: Union wants to continue playing at the top, even if nobody says so offensively.
The third qualification for the European Cup in a row would no longer be a surprise – and Union is still in the running in the DFB Cup and Europa League. Because Sheraldo Becker and Co. are far from thinking about stopping.
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