MArie-Louise Eta’s name has been making headlines around the world for the past week since Union Berlin announced her appointment. But Wolfsburg put a damper on things (0-2) in her debut as the first female head coach to lead a team in one of Europe’s top five leagues.
Excitement reached a fever pitch as Marie-Louise Eta emerged from the locker room entrance and the picturesque An der Alten Flusterei Stadium erupted into a roar. Every camera lens in the stadium was pointed at her…no wonder, since they were witnessing a historic moment.
A player loses consciousness after receiving a dangerous bicycle kick during an AFC Champions League match.
Compared to his predecessor Steffen Baumgart’s starting line-up, he made quite a few changes to face a struggling Wolfsburg team that hadn’t won in the Bundesliga for more than three months. He shuffled the full-back positions, bringing in veterans Trimmel and Rothe, pairing Kemline and Rani Khedira in midfield, and starting Ansah a few yards further up the field.
It was a more attacking approach, but Wolfsburg took a 1-0 lead after just over 10 minutes. Patrick Wimmer picked up the ball in midfield, ran towards the edge of the box and took a first-time shot with the outside of his foot, but it went straight into the top corner, leaving Ronnow with no chance.
In fact, Union Berlin’s reaction wasn’t bad either. Grabala made a fine save against Ansah and moments later Doek headed a shot at the far post, which went over the crossbar. However, they were unable to build on their momentum, and shortly after returning from half-time, Pejčinovic scored from outside the box following Eriksen’s high interception, which was a huge blow for An der Alten Flesterei.
As with Wimmer’s opener, Union Berlin recovered well and allowed Andrej Ilić’s powerful header to hit the woodwork. With five minutes remaining, Oliver Burke runs in and faces Grabala one-on-one.
They persevered until the end in search of the equalizing goal. However, it was not enough to prevent Marie-Louise Eta’s historic debut from ending in defeat, and although it was not enough to knock Wolfsburg out of the relegation zone, Union Berlin are in a precarious position, six points above the relegation zone with four games remaining.
