1. FC Union Draws 1-1 at Chemnitzer FC

Chemnitz (dpa/bb) - In its third preseason friendly, 1. FC Union Berlin could only manage a 1-1 (1-0) draw against Chemnitzer FC. Marin Ljubicic (25') scored Berlin's goal against the fourth-division side with a backheel assist from Andrej Ilic in the 25th minute. Chemnitz earned a well-deserved 1-1 equalizer in the second half through Jonas Marx (77').

In front of 5,213 spectators at the Gellertstraße Stadium, including about 300 Union fans, coach Mauro Lustrinelli fielded a total of 22 players. At halftime, the Swiss coach made a complete lineup change. However, following an injury to Andrik Markgraf, he was forced to bring on Leopold Querfeld in the 62nd minute—a player who had already seen action in the first half. It was initially unclear whether Markgraf had suffered a serious knee injury.

Reunion with former coach Grote on Sunday

The match started 15 minutes late because Union got stuck in traffic. Union’s next friendly will take place on Sunday (3:30 p.m.) against another team from the Northeast Regional League, FC Carl Zeiss Jena. That will mark a reunion with Jena’s coach Marco Grote, who previously coached Union’s U19 team and, in 2023–24, also briefly served as head coach of the first team.