Bundesliga
Union Berlin and Freiburg battled to a goalless draw at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei on Matchday 9 with both teams having a goal disallowed, which added drama to a tense match.
Union and Freiburg contested a fiercely competitive match at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei, with both sides desperate to improve recent form. The hosts had been goalless in three of their past four Bundesliga matches, while Freiburg arrived winless in four league games after losing to Bayer Leverkusen last time out.
Union coach Steffen Baumgart made three changes from their midweek cup victory, with Aljoscha Kemlein, Derrick Köhn and Janik Haberer returning to the starting XI. Julian Schuster made six changes to his Freiburg side, with Max Rosenfelder replacing the suspended Philipp Lienhart in defence.
Disallowed goals define cagey first half
The match began with immediate drama as Junior Adamu received a yellow card in the first minute for a late challenge on András Schäfer. Both sides traded chances in an evenly contested opening period, with Leopold Querfeld testing Noah Atubolu early for Union. Freiburg thought they had broken the deadlock in the 17th minute when Matthias Ginter headed home from a corner, but referee Sören Storks disallowed the goal for handball on review.
The visitors dominated possession but struggled to create clear-cut opportunities, while Frederik Rønnow was alert to deny Lucas Höler when the Freiburg forward found himself through on goal. Niklas Beste squandered Freiburg's best chance in the 38th minute, dragging his shot wide when clean through.
The second half continued in the same vein, with neither side able to find a breakthrough despite promising opportunities. Union had their own VAR disappointment in the 63rd minute when Andrej Ilić bundled the ball over the line, only for the goal to be ruled out as Rani Khedira was deemed to be in an offside position blocking Atubolu's view.
Baumgart responded by introducing Ilyas Ansah and Christopher Trimmel, and the former should have broken the deadlock in the 71st minute when he found himself with only Atubolu to beat, but the Freiburg goalkeeper made an excellent save.
The visitors threatened through Igor Matanović, whose 85th-minute header was brilliantly saved by Rønnow, while Tom Rothe missed a good chance for Union with a wayward shot in the 87th minute as both sides had to settle for a point.
Rønnow was the standout performer, making several crucial saves to earn his clean sheet. The Dane denied Höler in a one-on-one situation in the first half and produced an outstanding stop to keep out Matanović's powerful header in the closing stages.
The goalkeeper's command of the penalty area was impressive throughout, and he consistently dealt with Freiburg's set-piece threats. With four saves in total, Rønnow's assured display earned him 266 Fantasy points - the highest of any player on the pitch - and deservedly won him the Player of the Match award with 28% of the votes.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: Union Berlin 1.52 - Freiburg 1.23
Fastest player: Tim Skarke (Union Berlin), 34.06 km/h
Most pressed player: Johan Manzambi (Freiburg), 17 times under pressure
Pass efficiency: Maximilian Eggestein (Freiburg), 2.74
Fantasy Heroes: Frederik Rønnow (Union Berlin, 266 Points), Danilho Doekhi (Union Berlin, 255 Points), Leopold Querfeld (Union Berlin, 239 Points)