New hero in Berlin as Union prevail

Union Berlin 2-1 VfB Stuttgart
Goals: 1-0 Ansah 18', 2-0 Ansah 45'+4 (assist: Ilić), 2-1 Tomás 86' (assist: Führich)

Union and Stuttgart aimed to kick off their 2025/26 Bundesliga seasons in the best possible fashion.

The hosts had shown good form at the end of the previous season, losing just one of their last 10 league games, while Stuttgart were fresh from their appearance in the Frazn Beckenbauer Supercup, where they narrowly lost 2-1 to Bayern Munich.

Union boss Steffen Baumgart handed a league debut to summer signing Ansah, while Stuttgart coach Sebastian Hoeneß fielded an attacking trio of Nick Woltemade, Ermedin Demirović and Deniz Undav.

Early on, Stuttgart who dominated possession and looked comfortable on the ball.

However, it was Union who struck first, and in spectacular fashion too. In the 18th minute, Ansah received the ball outside the box and unleashed an unstoppable right-footed rocket that flew past Alexander Nübel and in via the post. 

Stuttgar pressed for an equaliser, with Jeff Chabot's close-range header brilliantly saved by Frederik Rønnow, and Jamie Leweling's fierce drive also kept out by the Danish goalkeeper.

However, just before half-time, Union doubled their lead when Andrej Ilić crossed for Ansah to volley home from inside the box, sending the home fans into raptures.

Stuttgart continued to see most of the ball after the break but found themselves frustrated by Union's resilient defence.

The visitors came close in shortly after the restart when Undav's header struck the crossbar, while Rønnow produced another fine save to deny Maximilian Mittelstädt's long-range effort.

Hoeneß introduced Tiago Tomás in the 65th minute, and the returning forward made an impact when he reduced the deficit late on with a a clever flick from Chris Führich's cross.

Despite late pressure from the visitors, Union held firm to secure all three points and begin their season with a victory.

It's hard to imagine a more impressive Bundesliga debut than the one produced by Ansah.

The summer signing from Paderborn scored with both of his shots in the match, the first a stunning long-range effort with just a 3.6% chance of going in according to xG data, and the second a well-taken volley from Ilić's cross.

Ansah's clinical finishing proved decisive in a match where Union were out-possessed and out-shot by their opponents.

The 20-year-old striker also showed impressive pace, reaching a top speed of 32.25 km/h, and worked tirelessly before being substituted to a standing ovation in the 75th minute.

Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: Union Berlin 0.83 - Stuttgart 2.34
Fastest player: Tiago Tomás (Stuttgart), 33.91 km/h
Lowest goal probability: 1-0 by Ilyas Ansah (Union), 4 percent
Most pressed player: Jamie Leweling (Stuttgart), 23 times under pressure
Pass efficiency: Deniz Undav (Stuttgart), 1.38

Fantasy Heroes: Ilyas Ansah (Union, 348 Points), Frederik Rønnow (Union, 293 Points), Jeff Chabot (Stuttgart, 204 Points)