1. FC Union Berlin lost 2-1 to Holstein Kiel in Steffen Baumgart’s debut as head coach, a midwinter friendly at the Alte Försterei on Sunday afternoon played over four 30 minute quarters. Yorbe Vertessen scored a beauty to equalise Armin Gigovic’s opener, but Jann-Fiete Arp nicked the winner in the 114^th minute.

1. FC Union Berlin: Schwolow (60. Klaus) – Juranovic (60. Trimmel), Doekhi (60. Querfeld), Vogt (60. Leite), Rothe (60. Roussillon (90. Preu)) – Skarke (60. Skov), Tousart (60. Haberer), Kemlein (43. Schäfer (79. Khedira)), Hollerbach (60. Vertessen) – Jeong (60. Bénes), Volland (43. Siebatcheu (79. Ilic)) 

Kieler SV Holstein: Weiner (60. Dähne) – Rosenboom (90. Ottilinger), Becker (76. Puchacz), Zec (76. Johansson), Komenda (76. Geschwill), Porath (76. Javorcek) – Bernhardsson (76. Kelati), Gigovic (76. Holtby), Remberg (76. Knudsen) – Harres (76. Pichler), Machino (76. Arp) 

Attendance: 9.035 

Goals: 0-1 Gigovic (34.), 1-1 Vertessen (97.), 1-2 Arp (114.) 

The starting XI

For his first ever game in charge since his return to 1. FC Union Berlin, new head coach Steffen Baumgart started with the long-supposed change in formation, with Danilho Doekhi and Kvin Vogt in the middle of a back four flanked by Tom Rothe and Josip Juranović.

Aljoscha Kemlein and Lucas Tousart were in central midfield, with benedict Hollerbach ahead on the right, Tim Skarke on the left, while Kevin Volland was finally able to start up front, alongside Wooyeong Jeong.

Kiel press high – Union attack down the wings

Though there were flakes on snow in the air on a bitterly cold day in Köpenick, there were still almost 10,000 people packing the stands to see Steffen Baumgart’s return to the Alte Försterei, a game that saw both sides keen to impress from the off.

Union, with their new formation still taking shape, had the first chance as Josip Juranovic found space on the right wing, passing the ball into the middle where Lucas Tousart got a touch, but his effort was blocked and bundled away by a resolute Kiel defence.

About five minutes later, in Frederik Rönnow’s absence, Alexander Schwolow showed his own abilities as reacted sharply to Shuto Machino’s excellent drive, tipping it onto the crossbar. After that, both teams' attacking play tailed off, with Union relying on getting cross after cross into the box, but they were cleared every time.

The first quarter of play was rounded off when the busy Wooyeong Jeong had another dangerous shot from distance, but Kiel keeper, Timon Weiner, was equal to it.

Gigovic scores from close range, Union continue their push towards goal

Kiel took the lead soon after the first restart when defender, Lasse Rosenboom, continued his run to flick a cross from the left to the back post, where Armin Gigovic was standing free to head the ball home.

On the counter, Union continued their attacking down the flanks, but Juranovic's next cross from the right only led to a corner that yielded nothing. Nine minutes later, they won a free kick on the edge of the box, and it was the Croatian who set himself for it, taking the ball off Tim Skarke, with benedict Hollerbach also registering his interest in having a crack on goal. Juranović’s shot, drilled low and outside the wall, flew wide of the left-hand post.

Before the first half was over, the guests had another good opportunity when Kevin Vogt mishit his pass out from the back. The Storks broke at pace, but Schwolow saved superbly from Nicolai Remberg with his legs, staying on his feet as long as he could. Jeong’s next effort, closer still this time, went just over the bar following a neat one-two between Jordan Siebatcheu (on for Kevin Volland), and Hollerbach.

The coaches ring in the changes, Union in the ascendancy

At the start of the third half an hour, Union head coach Steffen Baumgart substituted all of his players except for Siebatcheu and András Schäfer (who had replaced Aljoscha Kemlein earlier on already), and it was one of the new players, Leopold Querfeld, who had the next chance, heading over four minutes into the quarter.

But if the game became a little disjointed following the mass of substitutions, Baumgart, celebrating his birthday as well as his coaching debut, was all action. One minute he was pacing furiously, arms folded over his barrel chest, the next his legs were splayed wider than his shoulders, palms on his thighs. His hands must have been raw from the constant applause he doled out to his new charges, willing them on at every opportunity.

Vice-captain, Rani Khedira, had a good chance after coming on, but keeper Thomas Dähne thwarted it with a quick reflex save. Not even 120 seconds had passed when Dähne, who was otherwise excellent, fumbled the ball in his own box. Andrej Ilic tried to slot the ball into the empty net from a tight angle, but his first-time effort missed the target by a hair's breadth.

A little later, Yorbe Vertessen’s well struck shot, too, went wide before László Bénes saw his own take a deflection, but bounced off the top of the bar and away with 90 minutes now played.

Vertessen takes the breath away, but Kiel take the lead again

Seven minutes into the final quarter had been played when Union’s deserved equaliser came, and what a goal it was. Ilic made a good run and combined with Janik Haberer, who fed Bénes, who passed straight on to Vertessen. The Belgian flicked the ball over his head with the most gorgeous of back-heels, saving the flourish for his first-time finish that he stroked past Dähne with his left foot, inside the back post, to make it 1-1.

The Slovakian international Bénes then had the chance to make it 2-1, but his header, from Haberer’s clever ball, again drifted wide.

After the final whistle Christopher Trimmel saw the bright side, despite the result. ‘It's a shame we lost today, but on the whole it was positive. We were able to implement a lot of new ideas, but of course not much time has passed. We were able to create many opportunities in the new system and now we want to continue working on it, train hard and implement these aspects even better.”

The game was rounded off when the visitors scored their second as a pass between the Union centre-backs was picked up by Jann-Fiete Arp. The Hamburg native took the ball past Carl Klaus and slid it into the empty net to make it 2-1 in the 114th minute.

By now the snow was coming down and the skies were darkening, but it wasn’t enough to spoil the mood, or the welcome given by the Unioner to the new boss.

“One thing we've learned is that the boys are doing well and are in very good physical condition,” he said later. “You could see that they are a team that has the will to win over long stretches of the game.”