Loris Karius‘s career back in Germany got off to the ideal start as he marked his debut for Union Berlin with a friendly win over Hannover 96 on Thursday.
The 27-year-old sealed a temporary switch to Union at the end of September after Liverpool’s price tag of £6 million for a permanent move was baulked at over the summer.
It’s his third successive season on loan after spending the 2018/19 and 2019/20 campaign with Besiktas in the Turkish top flight, with the Reds having made it clear that is future lies elsewhere.
But with a topsy-turvy career since the events of the 2018 Champions League final, the hopes are that Karius soon finds his feet and a place to call home.
With domestic action on hold due to the international break, Union used the opportunity to keep the momentum rolling having organised a friendly clash with 2. Bundesliga side Hannover.
The game was played out in front of 1,759 supporters, with fellow Liverpool loanee Taiwo Awoniyi also handed a full complement of minutes after being named in the starting XI.
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Awoniyi, who had played just 58 minutes in 2020/21 to date, started brightly after first narrowly pulling a shot wide of the post before almost setting up Keita Endo to find the net, only for the ‘keeper to parry the shot out for a corner.
A penalty would give Union the lead midway through the first half before Hannover equalised just after the break after a rebounding shot off the post was tucked away beyond Karius.
Union would pile on three unanswered goals to emerge as 4-1 victors, ideal preparation for their clash at Schalke on October 18.
The friendly would have provided the perfect start to life back in Karius’ native Germany, where his task is to displace Andreas Luthe between the sticks moving forward.
Elsewhere, Tony Gallacher played in the first 56 minutes of Toronto’s 1-0 MLS win over New England, a result which moved them top of the Eastern Conference.
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