BERLIN, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Hertha came from behind to beat ten-men Union 3-1 with Krzysztof Piatek's second-half brace to kick-off the 10th round in Bundesliga on Friday.
From the starting whistle, visitors Union kept its men behind the ball and defended deep, whereas Hertha could not find a gap in Union's well-positioned defense.
However, clinical Union scored with its first chance of the game as Marcus Ingvartsen protected the ball at the edge of the box against two Hertha defenders before passing into the path of Taiwo Awoniyi, who scored into the far post corner with 20 minutes played.
It was a short-lived joy for the visitors, though, as Robert Andrich received his marching orders after hitting Lucas Tousart with a high leg only three minutes after Union's opener.
Hertha wasn't able to take advantage of its superior numbers before the break as Dodi Lukebakio headed into the arms of Union's goalkeeper Andreas Luthe.
After the interval, Hertha came out highly motivated and eventually restored parity six minutes into the second half when Luthe parried Matheus Cunha's hammer into the path of Peter Pekarik, who made no mistake to tap home the rebound from close range.
Union tried to respond, but Hertha gained momentum and turned the tides in the 74th minute after Javairo Dilrosun capitalized on a misplaced pass from Luth before setting up for substitute Piatek, whose turn shot from 11 meters left Luthe without a chance.
The visitor's resistance was broken only three minutes later as Piatek wasn't done with the scoring and wrapped up his brace with a well-placed shot from 15 meters into the far post to make it 3-1 on the scoreboards.
With the result, Hertha Berlin climbs to the 11th spot while Union Berlin stays in the standings' sixth position.
"I am, of course, thrilled with the derby win. It is never easy to play against Union. However, what most matters is that we took all three points," Hertha coach Bruno Labbadia said.
The following fixtures are scheduled for Saturday: front runners Bayern Munich host runner up Leipzig for the top clash, Eintracht Frankfurt face Borussia Dortmund, Cologne meet Wolfsburg, newcomers Arminia Bielefeld encounter Mainz and Freiburg see Borussia Monchengladbach. Enditem
