Heidenheim Upset of Union Berlin Prompts Managerial Sacking
1. FC Heidenheim secured a crucial 3-1 victory over 1. FC Union Berlin on Saturday, a result that triggered the immediate sacking of Union Berlin manager Steffen Baumgart. The win, Heidenheim's first in 16 Bundesliga matches, provided a dramatic twist in the relegation battle at the bottom of the table.
Mathias Honsak was the match-winner for the league's bottom club, scoring twice in the first half to set Heidenheim on the path to a vital three points. The Austrian forward, who had not scored in his previous 23 league appearances this season, struck in the 9th and 36th minutes to stun the visitors at the Voith-Arena. Budu Zivzivadze added a third for the hosts in the 79th minute to secure the win, despite a late consolation goal from Union's Leopold Querfeld.
The victory, only Heidenheim's fifth of the season, saw the league's last-placed team close the gap to the relegation play-off spot to six points, offering a glimmer of hope in their fight for survival. For Union Berlin, the defeat proved the final straw for the club's hierarchy. Mere hours after the final whistle, the club announced the dismissal of head coach Steffen Baumgart, despite signing a contract extension with the club earlier this year. The result leaves Union in 13th place, seven points clear of the relegation zone.
In a post-match interview with Sportschau, Baumgart had acknowledged his team's poor performance, stating, 'We were in the game in the first five or six minutes as we had planned, and then we weren't anymore.' The club's sporting director, Oliver Ruhnert, announced the separation shortly after, stating a new coach was needed to achieve their season objectives. The defeat marked a new low for Union, who have won only one of their last 11 league matches.
For Heidenheim, the victory was a long-awaited return to form. Manager Frank Schmidt, the longest-serving manager in German professional football, praised his team's resilience. 'This feeling, you need it again and again to reward yourself,' Schmidt told Sportschau, referencing the end of their 15-game winless run. 'Today it finally worked out again.' The win was also a personal triumph for Honsak, who ended his lengthy goal drought in emphatic fashion.
The match was also notable for the Bundesliga debut of Union's Linus Güther. At 16 years and 3 days old, he became the second-youngest player in the league's history, just two days older than the record holder, Youssoufa Moukoko. His debut, however, was quickly followed by a yellow card for a rash challenge. The result sets up a tense run-in for both clubs, with Heidenheim traveling to SC Freiburg next, while Union Berlin will host VfL Wolfsburg as they seek a new manager to guide them to safety.
