Under a radiant blue sky, the men's professional team of 1. FC Union Berlin started their first home game of the new season at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei. The Eisernen got off to a better start and put the guests under pressure with early pressing. Already in the initial phase, the home team created the first dangerous goal-scoring opportunities. Following a corner from captain Christopher Trimmel, Livan Burcu was able to shoot in front of the goal, but narrowly missed the target (9.). As the game progressed, a hard-fought match developed, in which the guests from Italy could also make their first impressions. Nevertheless, most of the action took place in the half of the Rossoblù.

In the 31st minute, the guests recorded their first dangerous goal-scoring opportunity. Gennaro Borelli shot in the penalty area, but Union's young goalkeeper Fritz Gagzow reacted quickly and saved the attempt. Even in the following minutes, the team from Italy remained dangerous: After two set pieces, Cagliari had further attempts, which were neutralized by Fritz Gagzow and Dymytro Bogdanov. Despite having more ball possession, the Eisernen were unable to create any further clear goal-scoring chances during the first half. Thus, it went into halftime at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei with a goalless 0-0.

The guests initially had the better start to the second half and were quickly rewarded for their efforts: After an assist from Harry Winks, Yael Trepy took a shot in front of the goal and placed the ball uncatchable into the net for 0-1 (49.). In the 62nd minute, Cagliari Calcio made its first personnel changes. Coach Fabio Pisacane took the opportunity to make seven substitutions. The fresh players immediately provided new impulses, which soon reflected on the scoreboard. The substituted Paul Mendy increased the lead to 0-2 for the guests in the 67th minute. After this action, the coaching team around Mauro Lustrinelli also made significant changes, bringing on nine new players (68.). The substitutions brought fresh energy to the Unioner’s game and added a new intensity to the pitch.  

In the 85th minute, Tom Rothe initiated the comeback with a throw-in: Leopold Querfeld headed the ball towards goal, where Ilyas Ansah was perfectly placed and managed to nod it in for 1-2. Just a few minutes later, Ansah was on the spot again, scoring the equalizer with a header to make it 2-2. Towards the end of the match, the intensity increased significantly once more. The flow of the game quickly shifted back and forth, allowing both teams to create more dangerous chances, which, however, could not be converted into further goals. Thus, the first home game of the season in the Stadion An der Alten Försterei ended in a 2-2 draw.

“A draw is better than a loss, but we also know that it was just a Friendly,” said double goalscorer Ilyas Ansah in his brief analysis of the draw.

"We had a good Friendly against a good opponent. 2-2 is a fair result for today. Especially in the first thirty minutes, we had a good grip on Cagliari, as they found it very hard to get out. At this point, I would also like to compliment all the young players who were on the pitch today. They all did a great job," was Livan Burcu's assessment after the match.

“The team gave it their all. I particularly liked the mentality today. We played with heart and passion. We started the game with many players from the U19 team and they gave everything. And in the end, we also managed to get the crowd at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei involved and turn the game around,” said head coach Mauro Lustrinelli after the final whistle.