Union Berlin striker Ilyas Ansah found the net on Saturday, but his effort was not enough to prevent his side from suffering a 4-2 home defeat to Hoffenheim in a thrilling Bundesliga encounter at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei.
The German-Ghanaian forward, who led the line with energy and confidence, endured a difficult first half as Hoffenheim raced into a 2-0 lead. Andrej Kramaric opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Fisnik Asllani doubled the advantage with a well-placed header.
Ansah reignited hope for the home crowd just four minutes after the restart. Latching onto a loose ball inside the box, he calmly slotted past the goalkeeper in the 49th minute to halve the deficit and give Union a lifeline.
But the joy was short-lived as Asllani struck again two minutes later to restore Hoffenheim’s two-goal cushion. Union Berlin continued to fight back, and Tom Rothe reduced the arrears once more with a fine strike in the 71st minute. However, the defender’s dismissal in the 82nd minute swung the momentum back in Hoffenheim’s favour.
With Union reduced to ten men, Hoffenheim capitalised, sealing the victory when Tim Lemperle converted a late penalty to make it 4-2.
Despite the defeat, Ansah’s performance and goal were bright spots for Union Berlin, who will look to bounce back when they travel to face Eintracht Frankfurt on September 21.
