Matteo Guendouzi won a penalty for Hertha BSC as they drew away to Union Berlin in their derby match at the weekend.

Despite the recent fears about the direction Matteo Guendouzi’s Hertha BSC loan spell was heading in, the midfielder seems to be back on track in the last couple of games.

After the appointment of new manager Pál Dárdai, everything seemed to be going wrong for Guendouzi. He dropped out of the starting lineup, he watched the club bring in Sami Khedira for competition, and he even picked up a minor injury.

But since that fitness setback, Guendouzi has turned things around. He returned to the starting lineup with an assist in late March, before aiding Hertha with another pivotal moment in their first game of April over the weekend.

The Bundesliga side were facing their Berlin rivals Union, and they were 1-0 down following a goal from Robert Andrich in the first 10 minutes. Guendouzi helped them draw level in the 35th minute after a clever turn saw him fouled for a penalty.

You can see a brief clip of the incident at 1:03 in the below video.

The match finished 1-1, earning Hertha another vital point in their fight for survival.

Hertha sporting director Arne Friedrich also played down reports of disciplinary issues for Guendouzi over the weekend.

“I’ve also read that he had problems at Arsenal but here he behaves very well,” Friedrich said. “He puts all of himself on the field. He is a great professional.

“Guendouzi’s situation confirms that we must always understand how to help the players, with a talent like him it is worth it.”