Bundesliga
Doekhi: The Union spanner in Bayern's works
Union Berlin held Bayern Munich to a spectacular 2-2 draw on Matchday 10, stopping the Bavarians from matching a decade-old record in the process. The Berliners have their defender, Danilho Doekhi, to thank, as his stunning brace stopped the record champions from snatching a 17th consecutive win in all competitions.
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In the aftermath of this spectacular result for Steffen Baumgart's Union, many Bayern fans may look back and feel that Vincent Kompany's pre-match press confidence was nothing short of prophetic.
Ahead of the trip to the Alte Försterei, the Bayern boss said, “Union can be very unpleasant to play against. We’re not underestimating them.” In the end, the side from Köpenick still managed to shock the Bavarians by snatching two points from them - becoming the first team to do so this season!
Watch: Doekhi at the double against Bayern!
Eintracht Frankfurt, couldn't do it; Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, and even reigning UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain couldn't either. None of these European giants had been able to knock Bayern off the course of their seemingly endless winning streak, yet Union could.
The side from the capital were no doubt helped by an unrelenting atmosphere produced by their home fans, but one man, Doekhi, was the real hero. The Dutchman - just as he did in the 3–1 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach in mid-October - struck twice over the course of the 90 minutes to put Union within touching distance of the impossible.
The 27-year-old kept his cool amid the chaos in Bayern’s penalty area, and both goals came off the back of an Union set-piece - once from a corner, once from a free-kick. Doekhi's brace takes the defender's tally this term to four, putting him level with striker Ilyas Ansah.
But, despite being named Man of the Match, it wasn't all smiles after the final whistle. A matter of seconds before Union’s party was about to begin, Bayern pulled a rabbit out of the hat, with Harry Kane heading home a late equaliser in the 94th minute.
Despite Doekhi's fantastic display, that late effort certainly stung. “We’re a bit disappointed," he said. "When you’re 2-1 up against Bayern, you want to win. So, the disappointment over the late goal outweighs everything.”
Yet, although they ultimately fell just short, it’s not far-fetched to call Union 'Bayern's party-crashers'. After all, Kompany's side could have celebrated their tenth Bundesliga victory on the trot, which would have equalled the record they themselves set in the back in the 2015/16 season when they started the season off with 10 straight Bundesliga wins.
As such, Union head coach Steffen Baumgart was eager to take the positives from his side's share of the spoils. "If someone had told me we would have drawn the game beforehand, I would have take that as a partial success," he said. "Overall, we saw a great Bundesliga game between two teams who were desperate to win."
The point sees Union move up to 10th in the table, at least temporarily, and underlines once again why the Stadion an der Alten Försterei is a fortress; nine of Union's 12 points this campaign have come in front of their own supporters. After the international break, Die Eisernen will make the trip the Hamburg to face St. Pauli, but what's the worst that can happen to the Bayern party-crashers?