Union put Five Past Magdeburg

1. FC Union Berlin’s women’s team won their eighth victory in eight Regionalliga Nordost matches on Sunday, beating Magdeburger FFC 5-0. The goals were shared between Athanasia Moraitou, Sarah Abu Sabbah and Cristina Maria Lange, the latter two bagging a brace each.

1. FC Union Berlin: Wagner – Metzker (46. Reissner), K. Orschmann (68. Becker), Niesler, D. Orschmann – Görsdorf (46. Frank), Moraitou (83. Trojahn), Heiseler – Youssef (46. Blaschka), Abu Sabbah, Lange

Göz Atın

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Magdeburger FFC: Rudloff – Hildebrand, Seidler, Leske (25. L. Neumann), Temp – Bölke, Steiger (79. A. Neumann), Große – Cienskowski, Nesimi (73. Morillo), Schulz

Goals: 1:0 Abu Sabbah (5.), 2:0 Moraitou (43.), 3:0 Lange (51.), 4:0 Lange (58.), 5:0 Abu Sabbah (83.)

Attendance: 300

When asked about the focus of their season, the players of 1. FC Union will gladly tell you that the single goal of their team is to win every single game. It’s not easy though, keeping that focus, fighting their way through periods – as Union had during the first half here against a Magdeburger FFC who had been implicit in derailing Union’s season last year, and who somehow refused to let the ball cross the line – when things don’t always run their way.

Union had gone a goal up after five minutes, after Sarah Abu Sabbah rounded Florentine Rudloff with the greatest of ease, and were in complete control of the game, thwarted from extending their lead, largely, only by the efforts of Rudloff who pushed aside chances from Lisa Heiseler and Maria Cristina Lange early on. Abu Sabbah saw a shot deflected off Wiebke Seidler’s shin, Heisler’s corner ended up being toe-d off the line.

But they wouldn’t give up. They pressed and they pressed – with Lange providing width and verve on the left, Lisa Görsdorf sitting deep in the middle next to the superb Athanasia Moraitou, and the skipper, Lisa Heiseler driving through the middle – and eventually they had to break through.

Dina Orschmann – playing at left back, but with enough space to roam as she liked – caused havoc as she beat three Magdeburger, the move ultimately ending as Lange found Abu Sabbah, but the Jordanian international could only volley straight at the keeper after half an hour.

She cursed her profligacy, and it would be Moraitou who ended the run of attempts, saying enough was enough. She shot from outside the box with inevitable precision and pace, giving Rudloff no chance. It was a superb way to end the half.

Ailien Poese made three changes at half time, bringing Celine Frank, Anouk Blaschka and Naika Reissner on for Görsdorf, Youssef and Pia Metzker, and freed of the danger of the single goal lead they started to enjoy themselves. The third goal came after a gorgeous flowing move that started with Moraitou, Abu Sabbah and Maria Cristina Lange on the left. Despite Caroline Hildebrandt’s diligent block, the ball still worked its way back to Dina Orschmann, who had allowed herself the luxury of another one of those lung-busting runs she makes look so simple. She squared from the right and Lange buried her shot past Rudloff.

Union were making the most difficult of things look simple. With an hour played Magdeburg’s Kim Marie Steiger tried to play a defence splitting ball, having spotted the rarest of opportunities opening up ahead of her, but Katja Orschmann killed the ball stone dead with the inside of her boot, at hip height, somehow as te ball passed her. It was all the opposition players could do stop and stare as the defender moved it on again with the minimum of fuss.

And even when Amy Cienskowksi did manage to break free at last, on her own in the Union half for the first time, she was suddenly swarmed by four red shirts and bullied away into the corner. It was that kind of a game, Union were unforgiving. Lange raged at her own failure to bring down a pass from Katja Orschmann when out on the right with the requisite precision. Union were three up, it meant little, but it betrayed something of their mentality. Every touch counts for this side.

Charleen Niesler started the move that led to Union’s fourth goal when she robbed Cienskowski, turning her inside and out with the most perfectly dropped of shoulders. She sprung the break, the ball falling for Lange in the box, who wouldn’t need to be asked twice. It was her tenth goal in three starts.

The skipper, Heiseler, linked up with Reissner, getting the ball back and moving it on to Dina Orschmann who then found Lange who crossed for Abu Sabbah. The trying Rudloff managed to block the shot, injuring herself in the process, and Abu Sabbah, too, could only display her disappointment at herself, but it wouldn’t take long until she would make up for it.

Lange cut in from the left, and instead of bending the ball into the gaping hole inside the far post, she squared simply for her team-mate to bag her brace and Union’s fifth and final goal.

Union’s head coach, Poese, said at the end of the game that she “can’t complain”, and how true she was. But you know that none of the members of this team will also take winning for granted. They won’t be resting on their laurels yet.