A Fantastic End to a Long Winter

1. FC Union Berlin’s women’s team beat 1. FC Köln II 6-2 in the last test of their winter preparations with striker, Dina Orschmann, in particular shining with five goals. Köln countered her 36th minute opener four minutes later but after the break the 26-year-old made the difference with three goals in 13 minutes. Latoya Bach got on the scoresheet after an hour, before Orschmann bagged her fifth of the day with twenty minutes to play.

1. FC Köln II: Osigus (46. Demiri) – Langshausen, Pelzer, Imping, Dünchem – Grundmann, Vogt (46. Meißner), Arslan – Marx (32. Trombin), Meßmer (46. Lattus), Elsen

1. FC Union Berlin: Hornschuch (46. Wagner) – Schulz, Niesler, Schindler (46. Reissner) – Sakar, Heiseler (46. Rurack), Frank (81. Heiseler), Görsdorf (66. Scheel), Bach – Blaschka, D. Orschmann

Attendance: 70

Goals: 0-1 D. Orschmann (36′), 1-1 Trombin (40′), 1-2 D. Orschmann (47′), 1-3 D. Orschmann (53′), 1-4 D. Orschmann (58′), 1-5 Bach (60′), 1-6 D. Orschmann (71′), 2-6 Meißner (72′)

Orschmann gives Union a remarkable lead – Cologne respond directly

The first half an hour of the game at RheinEnergieSportpark in Cologne was somewhat uneventful, as if waiting for a spark to set it off. Although Köln had their first shot after just three minutes, tit went wide of keeper Sarah Hornschuch’s box from an acute angle. At the other end, Union came close to scoring for the first time after nine minutes, but Fatma Sakar’s cross into the six-yard box was cleared at the last moment before Dina Orschmann, who was ready and waiting, coud get onto the ball.

Both teams struggled to find the final ball for long periods of the first half. Union, missing a number of key players, kept coming up against the hosts’ strong defense and were too imprecise in the attacking third. Köln, meanwhile, barely threatened. Striker Meike Meßmer had their best chance in the 29th minute after a corner, but her header from near the penalty spot just past the post.

So, fittingly, it was through a stroke of genius from Anouk Blaschka and Dina Orschmann that finally gave Union the lead after 36 minutes. Blaschka quickly took a free-kick on the halfway line, flicking the ball high into the path of Dina Orschmann, whose finish was a masterpiece, a curled shot with her outside of the foot. It was the stuff of dreams.

Union’s lead did not last long, however, as FC Köln II responded in the 40th minute. Meßmer was sent up the right wing and passed into the penalty area to Mia-Marie Trombin, who only had to slot home from six yards. The game was now alight and Union were unlucky not to have re-taken the lead straight from the re-start. Celine Frank fed Orschmann, who this time only hit the post from the inside left position. It was the last noteworthy action of the first half and the teams went into half-time with the scores level at 1-1.

Orschmann scores four more within 15 minutes

if the first half had started slowly, the second half was furious from the off. Just two minutes after the kick-off, Dina Orschmann put Union ahead again after Köln goalkeeper Alma Demiri failed to keep out a shot from the edge of the box by Celine Frank. Orschmann was on hand – playing the poacher role as well as the number ten – to finish off with ease, rolling the ball over the line. She would have her hat-trick within five more minutes as she ran onto Zita Rurack’s ball to finish.

Orschmann wasn’t done yet though, not by a long shot. She lapped up the chance to make it 4-1 after almost an hour following a misplaced pass.

The only surprise was that it wasn’t her who score the next. Only two more minutes had passed when Naika Reissner foundFatma Sakar, who crossed from the left into the box where Latoya Bach came rushing in and only had to nudge the ball over the line to make it 5-1.

Union were by now in complete control, but after 70 minutes, Melanie Wagner finally was drawn into action in the Union goal, as she scrambled a free-kick from Emma Lattus from out of her top corner. Union countered, Sakar burst into the penalty area and squared to where, inevitably, Orschmann was already waiting to score her fifth.

Immediately after the restart, however, 1. FC Köln II scored again, the result of a quick combination of passes through Union’s backline before Marie Meißner shot from the edge of the box. There were further opportunities for both sides; Zita Rurack seeing her 78th minute shot palmed away, while Anouk Blaschka’s attempt from distance flew just over the crossbar with five minutes to play.

But there were to be no further goals, and Union’s winter preparations, as long and drawn out as they have been, could finally come to a close. Orschmann, could finally focus on Hertha in the Cup next weekend.

The coach’s view on the game

“It was definitely a game of two halves,” said Union’s head coach, Ailien Poese with a hint of a smile, after the final whistle. “We didn’t really find our feet in the first half, I have to say that clearly. We weren’t precise in our passing and played into spaces that simply weren’t occupied. We addressed that at half-time. The finishing in the second half was of course incredibly good, especially with the early goals.”

Dina Orschmann, meanwhile, had this to say: “We didn’t get off to a good start in the first half, we lacked confidence on the ball at times and had to really fight our way into the game. But then we did that and were able to score the opener. After the small wobble with the equalizer, we sorted ourselves out in the dressing room, discussed a few tactical aspects again and then went into the second half stronger. We then approached it very confidently and were able to score a few more.”