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Midfielder Brenden Aaronson was sent off. That didn’t stop Union Berlin.
Ten-man Union earned a 4-1 win in Darmstadt after Robin Gosens scored twice in his first Bundesliga start on Saturday.
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“Today you saw what makes us special,” said Gosens, who spent his career in the Netherlands and Italy before joining Union in the offseason.
“It always sounds so simple, but we’re a team, a family. Everyone knows exactly what the other can do and what they have to do themselves, that we can overcome obstacles and always fight back, no matter what happens. Only a few teams can say that about themselves.”
Thomas Frey/picture alliance via Getty Images
Gosens celebrated his first professional start in Germany by eluding one Darmstadt defender and shooting between the legs of another to open the scoring in the fourth minute.
United States international Aaronson was sent off in the 21st for his second yellow card and Union paid the price three minutes later when Marvin Mehlem equalized.
But Gosens scored again in the 34th with a header to a free kick and Kevin Behrens – who headed three goals last weekend — headed another five minutes later.
“That’s where the team really showed great morale,” Union coach Urs Fischer said of his team’s response to the sending off. “And yes, set-pieces can decide games, that’s where we were very dangerous.”
Defender Danilho Doekhi made it 4-1 with a header to a corner in the 65th, but needed attention for a painful clash of heads with a defender. He continued.
Union did not emerge unscathed, however, with David Datro Fofana going off injured in the first half and his replacement, Sheraldo Becker, following in the 64th.
“For me it was almost a perfect afternoon. My first Bundesliga start and my first brace,” Gosens said.
Germany coach Hansi Flick and sporting director Rudi Völler were in the stands. Gosens has played 18 games for Germany but Flick omitted the left back from his World Cup squad last year.