BERLIN, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Union Berlin took its third straight win after beating winless Cologne 2-1 in the Bundesliga's eighth round of matches on Sunday.
The visitors from the capital made a bright start on the road as Marcus Ingvartsen shot over the bar from a promising position with just nine minutes played.
Cologne needed some time to gain a foothold into the game and produced its first chance in the 23rd minute, when Ismail Jakobs tested Union goalkeeper Andreas Luthe from a tight angle.
However, the opener was scored at the other end of the pitch as Taiwo Awoniyi latched onto Ingvartsen's long ball to beat Timo Horn from inside the box in the 27th minute.
Cologne equalized nine minutes later when Ondrej Duda's free-kick into the box found Ellyes Skhiri, who nodded home from close range.
After half-time, Union had to wait until the hour mark before creating another chance, as Awoniyi's shot from the edge of the box missed the target.
Union eventually restored its lead in the 72nd minute after Salih Ozcan fouled Ingvartsen inside the penalty area. But though Max Kruse's penalty was saved by Horn, the striker was still able to tap in the rebound from very close range.
Cologne pressed forward but Union stood firm to secure its fourth win of the season, condemning the Billy Goats to its fifth defeat from eight Bundesliga games.
Elsewhere, Mainz clinched its first win of the season after easing past Freiburg 3-1 thanks to a first-half hat-trick from Jean-Philippe Mateta.
The win lifts the Nullfunfer off the bottom and up to 15th position in the table, whereas Freiburg remain 14th.
"We are of course delighted that we have taken our first win of the season. It is a deserved victory for us," said Mainz head coach Jan-Moritz Lichte. Enditem
