But disillusion awaited at the summit. In the 2023/24 Champions League group stage, Union did not win a single match. Zero wins, minimal return in front of goal, six defeats.
It was one of the weakest Champions League campaigns by a German club of any kind. At the same time, the side crashed down in the Bundesliga as well — from Champions League participants into a relegation battle. Urs Fischer, the architect of the entire rise, was dismissed.
It marked the end of an era.