Union Berlin end a three-game losing run, beating Elversberg 1-0 through Livan Burcu

Union Berlin finally have a second Bundesliga win to their name, beating SV Elversberg 1-0 at the Alte Försterei thanks to Livan Burcu's goal nine minutes from time. It is the bottom club's first victory since the opening weekend of the season, and it came against a side that had been unbeaten in their previous two.

Burcu breaks the deadlock late on

The only goal of the game arrived in the 81st minute. A Christopher Trimmel corner was cleared only as far as the edge of the box, and Livan Burcu's effort from there — struck at well over 90 km/h, by the stadium's own tracking data — found its way past the Elversberg goalkeeper. It was enough to settle a tight, physical game in which neither side had managed to find the net until then.

Three bookings, no red cards

• 7' — Janik Haberer (Union Berlin), yellow
• 21' — Tim Skarke (Union Berlin), yellow
• 90' — Maurice Krattenmacher (Elversberg), yellow

Referee Tobias Reichel booked both of Union's early cautions inside the first 21 minutes. Elversberg had more of the ball, but it was Union who had the better of the chances and the hosts who found the only goal that mattered.

A first win since matchday one

Union went into the round bottom of the table on a single point from four games — a draw with Eintracht Frankfurt on the opening weekend followed by three straight defeats, including a 0-7 hammering at Bayern Munich last time out, leaving them with four goals scored and 17 conceded. Beating Elversberg ends that losing run and gives Union their first clean sheet and only their second win of the season.

Elversberg, newly promoted and previously unbeaten in their last two games (a win at Borussia Mönchengladbach and a 0-0 draw at Schalke), had gone into the weekend ninth on seven points from four games. The defeat ends that run and hands them their second loss of the campaign, a result to shrug off quickly given they had taken something from each of their last three matchdays before it.

Match stats

Line-ups

• 1. FC Union Berlin (4-1-4-1): Frederik Rønnow — Felix Uduokhai, Zeno van den Bosch, Tom Rothe — Rani Khedira — Woo-yeong Jeong, András Schäfer, Janik Haberer, Michel Aebischer — Tim Skarke, Kastriot Imeri
• SV Elversberg (4-2-3-1): Nicolas Kristof — Lukas Pinckert, Lasse Günther, Luca Sirch, Maximilian Rohr — Felix Keidel, Łukasz Poręba — Noah Darvich, Lukas Petkov, Tom Zimmerschied — Noel Futkeu

What's next

Union Berlin will hope this is the result that turns their season around after a brutal start; Elversberg, still mid-table and with only their second defeat of the campaign, head into the next round looking to get back to the form that has made them one of the surprises of this Bundesliga so far.