Union lost 6-1 to the Bundesliga’s Werder Bremen on a chastening afternoon at the Alte Försterei, a scoreline swollen by Larissa Mühlhaus’s second half hat-trick. But it was a wonderful occasion to announce themselves to their new regular home, and Pia Metzker saw the hosts into the break at 1-1 with a wonderful effort in the 44th minute.
1. FC Union Berlin: Bösl (46. Wagner) – Niesler, Becker (46. Janez), Steinert – Sakar (46. Reissner), Heiseler (46. Blaschka), K. Orschmann, Moraitou (71. Frank), Metzker (71. Weiß) – D. Orschmann (71. Halverkamps), Abu Sabbah (71. Trojahn)
SV Werder Bremen: Peng (76. Wende) – Ulbrich, Schmidt (46. Brandenburg), Nemeth, Siems (76. Dahl) – Walkling, Arfaoui (46. Mühlhaus), Dieckmann – Mahmoud, Weidauer (15. Papai), Sternad (60. Wichmann)
The starting XI
For her first game at the Alte Försterei of a huge season for Union’s women, Ailien Poese sent out a starting 11 familiar to all of those who followed them through last year’s double winning side. In goal, however, was a new signing in the face of Cara Bösl, behind a back three featuring another new face in Judith Steinert on the left of Marie Becker and Charleen Niesler. Ahead of them, in an advanced libero role, was Katja Orschmann, anchoring a midfield of Lisa Heiseler and Athanasia Moraitou, with Pia Metzker and Fatma Sakar featuring as wing-backs, on the left and right, respectively.
Last season’s top scorers, Sarah Abu Sabbah and Dina Orschmann were a twin attack up front.
Goals: 0-1 Ulbrich (5.), 1-1 Metzker (44.), 1-2 Niesler (52., o.g.), 1-3 Mühlhaus (67.), 1-4 Siems (71.), 1-5 Mühlhaus (77.), 1-6 Mühlhaus (80.)
Attendance: 5,500
Bremen take an early lead; Metzker equalises in style before the break
If the setting was glorious, the expectations on a side enough to go through the roof of the Alte Försterei, this friendly against the Bundesliga’s Bremen wasn’t exactly the dream start that Ailien Poese would have hoped for. But despite the result, there was much to be taken from it, and the setting was one few will forget.
Werder won a corner on the left after five minutes following a superb tackle from Katja Orschmann on a Tuana Mahmoud who would be one of the stand-out performers on the pitch all day.
The midfielder took it herself, hitting the ball hard towards the near post where Michelle Ulbrich headed powerfully at goal. Cara Bösl, in her first ever game at Union’s new, old home, got her hands to it, but there was too much on the ball and she could only parry it into her own side netting.
They were a goal down with barely five minutes played.
Union were up for the challenge against their talented guests, however, and Abu Sabbah showed a wonderful couple of touches to evade two challenges on the half way line as she turned towards the Bremen goal five minutes later. Moraitou then put just a bit too much on her clever through ball for Dina Orschmann to be able to run onto as she spied a gap in the Bremen back three.
Bremen were pressing hard and high, however, with Amira Arfaoui setting Sophie Weidauer free with a lovely ball, and it took a strong challenge from Becker to stop the Bremen player in her tracks as she crossed from the byline. During the break in play, while Weidauer received treatment to a throbbing ankle that would force her off the pitch, the Union players chatted among each other, gesticulating, re-adjusting their plans on the fly.
It is this creative, improvisational intelligence which set them apart last season, and which will continue to define Union. During another break in play, as Moraitou was down, Dina Orschmann, Steinert and Metzker came together, clearly conjuring a plan that almost paid off when play re-started as they combined cleverly and quickly to create Union’s best opening after 35 minutes.
Union saw plenty of the ball but were struggling to find the space they had been afforded so often last season, and when Heiseler found Moraitou with the chance to break up the left hand side, the excellent Mahmoud was there immediately to force her into turning back.
But there were plenty of positives for the home side, too. Becker made an exquisite challenge on Mahmoud, Abu Sabbah did well, harrying back into the left-back position to cover Sakar, while Steinert hit a superb ball up the left for Metzker to chase onto, the wing-back getting barged off the ball by Ulbrich to the opprobrium of the partisan crowd in the process.
With five minutes of the half to play, Union conjured their best move so far as Sakar beat her marker for the first time down the right, twisting and turning her inside out. She laid the ball off square, cleverly, for Athanasia Moraitou who found Abu Sabbah, who couldn’t get enough pace on the ball as she squeezed a shot off under pressure from just inside the 18 yard box.
If they are good at thinking on their feet, this Union side are also dogged, particularly so during the first half when they matched their lauded opponents. Sakar had been so influential since her arrival in the capital, it was with a certain inevitability that she was influential in Union’s brilliant equaliser. Again, she popped up on the right, finding Dina Orschmann in the middle who again found Metzker. This time the wing-back’s shot was true, and superbly placed, beating Livia Peng in the Bremen goal for pace, but with enough dip on the shot to get it under the bar.
The half time whistle went as Union pressured from another corner, but with more eyes on the worrying sight of the excellent Becker on the floor as the rest of the players departed. But she was up again and jogging gingerly soon enough.
Bremen take the lead early, Mühlhaus bags a hat-trick
Becker didn’t reappear for the second half – Katja Orschmann dropping back into her slot as Anouk Blaschka, Korina Janez, Naika Reissner and Mel Wagner came on for her, Heiseler, Bösl and Sakar – and it was Bremen who immediately posed the first threat, as Maja Sternad saw her shot fly past the back post as Union were just catching their breath.
It was a warning not heeded, and they would take the lead a moment later again, Mahmoud getting a deserved goal with only five minutes of the half played.
Despite its friendly status, there were few quarters given on the pitch with Abu Sabbah and Ulbrich both given warnings after rough challenges on Mahmoud and Janez respectively before an hour had been played. Sharon Beck left Steinert in a heap just after the hour. The impressive Steinert chased back well to stop Sternad in her tracks, making up a couple of metres as she burst down the right, while Katja Orschmann made a typically well timed block to deny Ulbrich as she looked to pass the half way line.
Bremen were showing their experience and nous, and they made it three when Larissa Mühlhaus hit a superb shot on the volley, over Wagner from the right and inside the back post. It was a fine finish, one matched by the last-gasp save that Peng made a moment after the restart from Reissner, flinging herself to her right and clawing the shot away, even as it seemed to have her beaten.
The cue for Poese to make another round of changes came when Carloline Siems scored Bremen’s fourth, rounding Wagner when given too much space in the box, and hitting the back of the net, despite Steinert’s desperate lunge at the last. Mühlhaus made it five ater 75 minutes when she swooped on a loose ball and slotted past Wagner with ease. She bagged her hat-trick, and Bremen’s sixth with just over ten minutes to play when she finished well, this time with her right, inside the back post.
Antonia Halverkamps, Sophie Trojahn, Celine Frank and Anna Weiß, returning from a long break following her cruciate injury, had now replaced Dina Orschmann, Moraitou and Metzker. A certain disjointedness was inevitable, of course.
But despite the dispiriting scoreline Union still showed glimpses of what this season ahead of them can be, of the tantalising promise still bubbling and buzzing in the sunshine that shone gloriously down upon the packed stands of the Alte Försterei. Janez and Halverkamps combined sharply up front, Steinert, now out on the right, showed her range of incisive passing – one left-footed cross towards Halverkamps that was just an inch too long, was a thing of near perfection. Trojahn bustled, while Frank snapped into challenges in the middle.
And Poese, indeed, was reflective at the end, taking as much as she could from the test against opponents from a league higher. “We tried something out and changed the system for the second half, as well as changing a few positions,” she said. “The result is perhaps a little too high, but I believe that we can learn good lessons from it and will work through the game next week. We’re certainly not happy with the result, but we’re confident that we can take a lot from it.”
The Union players looked chastened at the final whistle, they had received a stark reminder of how far they still have to come, but today wasn’t about the result, no matter the numbers racked up on the old scoreboard by the Waldseite. It was more about establishing their presence; getting their feet under the table; a chance to show the world that the fans here will support their teams no matter what, and that both Union’s men and women belong in this wonderful stadium.
They were better than the result would suggest, and it all starts here. They will certainly light the old place up in the seasons to come.