Skarke rescues point for Union in six-goal thriller with Frankfurt

1. FC Union Berlin opened its 2026/27 Bundesliga campaign on a sunny, 25-degree afternoon in the nation’s capital, hosting Eintracht Frankfurt at Stadion An der Alten Försterei.

Union’s 2024/25 campaign saw them under the leadership of Steffen Baumgart and history-making Marie-Louise Eta, moving up two places compared to their 2023/24 season from thirteenth to eleventh - with a 10-9-15 record and 35 points. Their Hessian opponents finished four places above them but could not balance Champions League football with their Bundesliga season, ultimately finishing one spot out of Europe in eighth with an 11-11-12 record and 44 points.

Union are undefeated in their last five matches against Frankfurt going into this meeting (3-2-0), having won their head-to-head matchup at home (4-3) and drawing away (1-1) last season. The last time Frankfurt won was in Berlin on 4. November 2023, a 3-0 result on goals from now-Manchester City FC forward Omar Marmoush (2’, 14’) and now-Feyenoord SC striker Nacho Ferri (82’).

Union Berlin would see the first chance of the match in the second minute, as a cross into the right side of the box from Robin Koch was deflected away by the right leg of Marin Ljubičić for a corner. On the ensuing set piece, Josip Juranović’s delivery into the centre of the box was met by a towering header from Ivorian international and new loan signing Emmanuel Latte Lath, above a leaping Noah Atubolu and top-centre to give the hosts the lead.

Ebnoutalib’s brace, just 11 minutes into the match, became the third-fastest from a player on the first matchweek of the Bundesliga season - both Frank Mill (Borussia Mönchengladbach - FC Schalke 04, 1984/85) and Kevin Behrens (1. FC Union Berlin - 1. FSV Mainz 05) were able to do so in the first 9 minutes. At 50 seconds between goals, it was also one of the fastest braces in Bundesliga history since this data was counted, with FC Schalke 04’s Edu having recorded a 47-second brace against 1. FC Nürnberg during the 2001/02 season.

Five minutes later, Eintracht Frankfurt would win a free kick on the left side of the ground, swung in by Keita Kosugi but cleared away by Rani Khedira. The ensuing corner would ultimately land in front of Younes Ebnoutalib, amidst a scramble at the goalmouth - and he smashed the ball past Matheo Raab and into the bottom-left corner to draw Die Adler level.

Ljubičić would restart play just seconds later, playing the ball back to Leopold Querfeld. The 22-year-old Austrian centre-back took a few seconds to evaluate his passing options, but it was a bit too much time - as Ebnoutalib came charging towards him and ultimately stripped him of possession. It led to a 1-on-1 between Ebnoutalib and Raab, with the former lifting the ball above the 27-year-old German goalkeeper. By the time that Zeno van den Bosch could run in to sweep the ball away, it already crossed the line - and the visitors jumped in front just seconds after finding their equaliser.

Frankfurt would continue to press in the minutes that followed, with Ebnoutalib searching for one of the fastest first half hat-tricks in Bundesliga history. In the eighteenth minute, Koch lobbed the ball into the centre of the box; Ebnoutalib and Can Uzun were both there, but the latter reached out to meet the ball, volleying it just above Raab and out of play for a goal kick to the hosts.

In the twenty-fourth minute, Kosugi would progress the ball for Frankfurt on the left side of the ground. Michel Aebischer lunged in for a harsh tackle and was almost instantly shown the first yellow card of the day by head official Bastian Dankert. The ensuing free kick was whipped in by Uzun, but landed right into the hands of Raab. Union would counter in the minutes that followed, as a pass from Latte Lath on the left side of the Frankfurt third ultimately landed in front of Ljubičić. His sliding chance to tap the ball bottom-right missed by a few metres, going out of play for a goal kick to the visitors.

Four minutes later, the match saw a rare delay, as while Frankfurt were passing the ball around in the centre of the ground, assistant referee René Rohde appeared to have picked up an injury on the sidelines. He abruptly went down the tunnel, with the other assistant official, Mitja Stegemann, relaying information to Dankert. After a six-minute delay, it was ultimately determined that fourth official Konrad Oldhafer would manage the offside flag on the right side of the ground, and that the match would continue with a drop ball.

Just before halftime, Ayoube Amaimouni would get a chance from distance to put Frankfurt into a two-goal advantage. It deflected off the arm of Querfeld - but not enough for Dankert to call a penalty to the visitors, given that the arm of the Austrian defender was close to his body at that moment. That would be the last notable play of the opening term, as the two sides would go into the locker rooms with Eintracht Frankfurt leading by two goals to one.

Shots in the first half finished 5-5, but the three goals were the only shots on target. Eintracht held 59% possession and had a 16% better pass accuracy - 78% on 175 completions, compared to 62% on 96 for Union.

Ljubičić kicked off the second half for the hosts - but after both sides consistently stopped each other in the midfield, it would be the visitors that would get the first chance of the term, albeit from distance. In the fifty-sixth minute, Farès Chaïbi would take a pass from Amaimouni to the centre of the Union half and then smashed a right-footed shot towards the bottom-right corner, not missing by much as it went past a standing Raab but off the side netting.

In the sixty-fifth minute, a long throw from Tim Rothe on the left side of the Eintracht half bounced off the ground, in front of substitute Tim Skarke, who came into the match for Latte Lath just four minutes earlier. The 29-year-old German attacking midfielder tried to half-volley the ball into the top-right corner, but mistimed his kick and the ball went off the back of his boot - directly into the hands of Atubolu.

Two minutes later, Eintracht would make sure that Union could not get .  Elias Baum took possession of the ball on the right side of the hosts’ third after a failed clearance from Livan Burcu; his initial pass into the centre of the box, towards Ebnoutalib, was blocked by Burcu, and the rebound appeared to have gone off his arm, which was close to his body. The second attempt, a lob into the box, was successful, and within seconds, Ebnoutalib thundered it into the bottom-right corner to complete the hat-trick. The Union players were adamant that Baum touched it with his arm in an illegal manner, but it was quickly determined by the VAR officials that the contact was incidental - thus, under revised Bundesliga rules implemented in recent years, the goal stood.

Union would get a series of chances to pull the match back within one, none more notable than a cross into the box from Ljubičić that was met by a free header from Skarke in the seventy-fifth minute. Atubolu had a split-second to react to the ball heading towards the top-right corner, but leapt in time to glove it down with both hands.

Two minutes after that, Atubolu made a fine double save, denying a shot from distance towards the bottom-left corner from Rani Khedira, and then leaping to punch away a Josip Juranović shot towards the top-right corner with his left hand. Union would win a corner, cleared by Atubolu for another set piece; that one was quickly taken by Juranović and headed by Querfeld into the bottom-left corner to make the score 2-3.

Despite their best efforts, the hosts were unable to find an equaliser in the remaining ten minutes of the 90. Four minutes of stoppage time were added, Union quickly won a corner, and Juranović’s cross was headed towards the bottom-left corner by Querfeld. Atubolu was ready to leap to deny it with both hands, but a deflection from Skarke with the right leg quickly caught him off-guard, tapped into the centre of the goal to send the Alte Försterei into delirium.

Neither side could get a late decider, but for Union, they remained unbeaten in their last six meetings against Frankfurt, with a 3-3 draw in an absolute thriller to open their 2026/27 Bundesliga campaign. Shots in the second half finished 14-7 to Union, 9-1 on target with 56% possession and a 74% accuracy on 151 passes to 72% on 123. Overall, shots finished 19-12 to Union, 10-3 on target with Frankfurt holding 52% possession; pass accuracy finished 75% on 298 passes for Frankfurt, 69% on 245 for Union.

1. FC Union Berlin will make a trip to Nordrhein-Westfalen to take on Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the second matchweek of the new season; that match is set for Saturday, 15.30 (CET). As for Eintracht Frankfurt, they will go back to the familiar Deutsche Bank Park to face FC Augsburg for the Sunday primetime match, with kickoff at 17.30 (CET).