German Cup: Union cement status as kings of Berlin

Hertha Berlin 2-3 Union Berlin, Olympiastadion
(Khedira og 54', Serdar 90' — Voglsammer 11', Stark og 50', Knoche 55')

They came as favorites, and left as undisputed kings of the capital city.

Union Berlin’s victory in Wednesday’s derby sends them into the quarterfinals of the German Cup in a season when the competition is tantalizingly open. It also cements their place on the top of the pile in Berlin, though coach Urs Fischer hardly seems to notice.

"What can I say?" he replied when asked by DW about being the best team in the city. "I was asked about this ahead of the game and I said that I’m not really interested. I’m interested in the performance."

His fans, at least, certainly are interested. It was their first derby victory at the Olympiastadion since 2011, and 200 traveling supporters, outnumbered but not outsung by the 1800 or so Hertha fans present, savored the moment at full-time. "Stadtmeister, (city champions), Berlin’s Nummer eins!"

'Sovereign performance'

Union were more than worth their victory. An early lead through an acrobatic Andreas Voglsammer strike set the tone. Though the scoreline suggests a close encounter, in truth Hertha’s goals were inconsequential, unthreatening. It was a sovereign performance from the guests, one that made the new power balance in Berlin all too clear.

It's a historic development, the way that Union have supplanted their neighbors Hertha as Berlin’s premier footballing force over the past few years. Though you'd hardly know it watching them; Fischer and his band of insurgents are as carefree and unencumbered as ever.

"For me, it’s not really about being the number one in Berlin," Union midfielder Grischa Prömel told public broadcaster Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (rbb) ahead of Wednesday’s derby. "We’re just enjoying playing football and working hard. If we’re ahead of Hertha at the end of it, that’s cool."

'Instability and embarrassment'

It matters more to Hertha, the capital city crown, which is a crying shame, because it’s no longer theirs. The last remaining blue and white royal, a certain Kevin-Prince Boateng, was visibly hurting at full-time. In fury, he blasted a ball towards the Ostkurve, where one or two of his brave teammates were being berated by furious fans. 

For a side that aspires to be — in the often-quoted, much-derided words of Hertha investor Lars Windhorst — a "Big City Club", Hertha are in poor shape. Their recent past has been a whirlwind of debacles. From the here-today, gone-tomorrow tenure of coach Jürgen Klinsmann, to the egregious departures of Salomon Kalou and advisor Jens Lehmann, to the constant coming and going of poor old put-upon Pal Dardai, the last few years have brought nothing but instability and embarrassment. Windhorst, who has pumped €375million ($426m) into the club since 2019, has so far seen no return on his investment.

Union's throne

Union, meanwhile, have consistently over-performed, producing a whole lot from comparatively little. It was they who last flew the city’s flag on the international stage, something no one at the club was even dreaming of twelve months ago.

The Olympiastadion — Hertha’s own Olympiastadion — was lit up in red for Union’s home fixtures in the UEFA Conference League. Next season a place in one of the premier European competitions seems well within reach. Hertha, having been quite completely relieved of their capital city supremacy, have more modest expectations for this season; they’ll be happy to avoid relegation. 

All that, as well as Wednesday's decisive derby result, points to an increasingly self-evident truth: if Berlin has a "Big City Club", it’s not the one Windhorst has been bankrolling, but their neighbors. Usurpers Union are comfortable on the capital city throne.

Edited by Michael Da Silva