Union Put 15 Past Erfurt

On a record-breaking Sunday afternoon, 1. FC Union Berlin’s women’s team beat 1. FFV Erfurt, 15-0. The goals were shared among the remorseless hosts, with Fatma Sakar, Naika Reissner and Anouk Blaschka getting one apiece, Lisa Heiseler and Sarah Abu Sabbah each bagging a brace while Dina Orschmann scored five.

1. FC Union Berlin: Wagner – K. Orschmann, Becker (64. Schindler), Frank – Sakar (64. Rurack), Blaschka (64. Görsdorf), Moraitou (85. Trojahn), Heiseler (64. Scheel), Reissner – Abu Sabbah, D. Orschmann

1. FFV Erfurt: Jorcke – Preißel, N. Gast, H. Berger, T. Berger, Hasenbein – Ullrich (59. Ehrich), Visargova, Janssen, Mittelsdorf – J. Gast (65. Hein)

Goals: 1-0 D. Orschmann (2.), 2-0 Heiseler (12.), 3-0 Abu Sabbah (15.), 4-0 D. Orschmann (17.), 5-0 Mittelsdorf (19. O.g.), 6-0 T. Berger (22. o.g), 7-0 Sakar (23.), 8-0 Blaschka (30.), 9-0 Reissner (33.), 10-0 D. Orschmann (38.), 11-0 Heiseler (40.), 12-0 Heiseler (57.), 13-0 D. Orschmann (61.), 14-0 D. Orschmann (63.), 15-0 Abu Sabbah (76.)

Attendance: 215

Before we begin, maybe a word on the opponents should be mentioned. For though 1. FFV Erfurt were eviscerated by an Union side who scored in the very first minute, who were 11 up at half time, and who moved the ball across the pitch with a level of pace and purpose that this league sees all too rarely, it is worth remembering that they enjoy benefits that their guests on Sunday afternoon could never countenance.

Erfurt never really stood a chance in the first place. When Union’s players come in to training tomorrow the likes of goalkeeper, Sophie-Marie Jorcke – who never gave up, who was making stops until the very end – will presumably be going to work.

But, equally, that doesn’t detract from this titanic win. After they only scored two goals in the second half against Berolina Mitte, Union’s coach, Ailien Poese, had betrayed a flash of anger. She knows how important promotion is for Union, and even the slightest sign of complacency is could become a danger to that.

Here, she had few worries on that count. “I’ve never seen so many goals scored in one half,” she said, flush with pride after the final whistle. Though Union were rampant from the off, opening the scoring through Dina Orschmann’s first of five goals in the first minute, it was actually Marie Becker – at the heart of Poese’s back three alongside Katja Orschmann and a Celine Frank, filling in more than admirably for Charleen Niesler – who had the biggest problem to deal with.

Becker’s problem was in the Erfurt centre-forward, Jette Gast, who was physically bigger, possibly stronger and almost exactly as fast as Union’s defender. They were involved in a compelling tussle from kick off, going shoulder to shoulder. Becker blamed herself when gast got a shot off towards the near post, that was dealt with calmly by Melanie Wagner in goal, but would get her recompense later with a superbly timed slide from behind, nipping the ball off the striker’s toes.

Becker would shepherd Antonia Janssen away from danger a moment later, she is the most assured presence at Union’s backs, but Erfurt were at least having a go initially. They won two corners in succession, but after the second, won by Tessa Berger, suddenly Fatma Sakar, Union’s right wing-back, was on the charge up the middle of the pitch, leaving midfielders in her long ponytailed wake. She found Sarah Abu Sabbah who was well tackled by Kira Hasenbein, and the ball went out for a corner.

Lisa Heiseler didn’t look twice. She bent the set-piece in towards goal with her right foot, the ball somehow evading everyone and going in.

Soon enough Gast would become totally isolated. All her team-mates were backed into their own half as if there was an ocean between them and her, as Union rained goals down, scoring five in the next ten minutes.

Abu Sabbah, having scored six, herself, in the cup in midweek finished smartly under Jorcke’s dive, before setting up Dina Orschmann’s second a minute later. Then another Heiseler corner caused more chaos in the box, the ball ricocheting off the hard-working Erfurt midfielder, Anna Mittelsdorf. Orschmann bagged the sixth, though poor Jorcke was sure she’s clawed the ball back before it crossed the line, before Sakar finished immaculately to make it 7-0.

Meanwhile Athanasia Moraitou had been controlling thing from the base of midfield with typical elegance, snapping into tackles, always keeping the ball moving. She had already seen two drives from outside the box fly just over the bar – she was getting closer with every drive – and it was her superb, sliderule pass that set Anouk Blaschka through to finish with her left.

The pick of the bunch, though, came from Union’s left wing-back, Naika Reissner. She found herself in a pocket of space after just over half an hour, driving a brilliant left-footed shot from outside the box past Jorcke and inside the far post.

But if that was a spell of individual class, the next was a proper team goal, started as the talisman, Katja Orschmann passed the ball back to Wagner in goal. She gave it to Frank who marched forward before finding Abu Sabbah. The Jordanian international found Dina Orschmann, who finished without missing a beat.

This was mechanical football, all their pieces interlocking, smoothly, precisely. The couple of hundred fans on the hill that flanks the touchline at the Fritz lesch Sportplatz were revelling in every touch, every pass, every tackle and every goal.

There was still time for Heiseler to get her second before half time, but then came a sudden moment of panic. Becker threw herself at a ball near the halfway line and got caught in a sickening clash of heads with Mittelsdorf. Both players went down, but the Unioner stayed on the ground longer, requiring treatment as worried looks were passed between the faces of her team-mates.

Becker, however, was up again before the half was up. She shook it off, a symbol of the attitude that this side has.

Poese was just as happy with her side after the break, even if Union would only score four more. But it wasn’t through a lack of effort, more that Erfurt were dogged in their refusal to be humiliated. They threw themselves in front of shot, launched into tackles. Jorcke saved well from Abu Sabbah and from Katja Orschmann; Abu Sabbah bent two shots wide, the second missing the back post by milimetres.

But Heiseler would make it 12-0 from Blaschka’s cross – her 100^th goal for Union’s senior sides, and astonishing feat for a player who has played most of her still young career in midfield, before Dina Orschmann got the final two, the first set up by her sister’s fantastic run up the inside right channel.

Union had done everything Poese had asked of them. Their pursuit of the title is relentless. And when the mood strikes them like this, there was little poor Erfurt could do to get in their way.