BERLIN, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- Union Berlin moved past struggling Leipzig 2-1 to inflict the "Red Bulls" the third straight defeat in the league at the curtain raiser of the 14th round in Bundesliga on Friday.

The "Eisernen" caught a fairy-tale start in front of home crowd as Taiwo Awoniyi tapped home Timo Baumgartl's assist following a Union corner in the 6th minute.

Union should have made it two only six minutes later but veteran striker Max Kruse pulled wide from five meters.

Leipzig punished Union's wastefulness in front of the target and restored parity out of the blue when Union goalkeeper Andreas Luthe got caught flat footed by Christopher Nkunku's 25 meters effort in the 13th minute.

Both sides staged a slow start into the second half and neutralized offensive actions within the midfield.

The game sparked to life again in the 57th minute when the "Red Bulls" failed to clear a corner allowing Baumgartl to get his name on the scoreboards after poking home a loose ball from very close range for the 2-1 lead.

Leipzig tried to respond and pushed forward but couldn't find a gap in Berlin's well positioned defence.

Meanwhile, Union had several chances to enlarge the lead but neither Julian Ryerson nor Kevin Behrens was able to beat Leipzig keeper Peter Gulacsi despite promising opportunities in the dying minutes of the game.

With the result, Union Berlin climbed on the 4th spot whereas Leipzig stay on the 8th place of the Bundesliga standings for the moment.

"The team implemented our strategy brilliantly. I think we should have sealed the deal earlier, but I am overall really happy with the victory," Union head coach Urs Fischer said.

"We staged a very poor performance. After two defeats in a row in the league we had to put things right here today but instead we have shown a disastrous performance. We deservedly lost," Leipzig sporting director Oliver Mintzlaff said. Enditem

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