Union’s Marvellous run Comes to an End

1. FC Union Berlin’s women’s team suffered their first loss in over a year and a half on Sunday afternoon, falling 2-1 at home to Eintracht Frankfurt II. Having gone two goals down, Antonia Halverkamps halved the deficit with a powerful second half strike, but despite a brave fightback, Johanna Berg and Ela Demirbas’s goals would be enough for the guests.

1. FC Union Berlin: Bösl – Weiß, Niesler (71. Frank), Steinert – Sakar (63. Trojahn), Markou, Moraitou, Heiseler (63. Janez), Metzker – Halverkamps (87. Reissner), D. Orschmann

Eintracht Frankfurt II: Altenburg – Bednorz, Matijevic, Schneider, Memminger – Pawollek (62. Schmidt-Sommer), Demirbas (75. Schäfer), Zimmermann – Mühlemann (89. Rückert), Berg, Schwoerer

The starting XI

With Ailien Poese sick, it was up to her assistant, Sven Gruel, to lead the Union side, starting with Cara Bösl in goal behind a back three of Judith Steinert, Charleen Niesler, returning to the side in place of Marie Becker, and Anna Weiß.

They were flanked by Fatma Sakar and Pia Metzker, on right and left respectively, alongside the midfield trio of Athanasia Moraitou, Eleni Markou and captain, Lisa Heiseler.

In Sarah Abu Sabbah’s absence, this meant a front two of Antonia Halverkamps and Dina Orschmann.

Attendance: 5.772

Goals: 0-1 Berg (10.), 0-2 Demirbas (65.), 1-2 Halverkamps (71.)

Johanna Berg scores the only goal early for in a frantic first half.

It had been mid-February, 2023, when Union’s women had last lost a competitive fixture. That’s over a year and a half of league and cup games, where they had become a byword for footballing dominance. It was a run that almost beggared belief.

Maybe the cruel wind blowing in was a portent. Maybe, though, sometimes you just lose a game. After all, every run has to come an end at some point, and theirs did on Sunday afternoon.
There was another huge crowd packing the Gegengerade, leaves strewn on the pitch and a chill in the air, and the first half started fittingly to the weather, frantically, the players were as if buffeted by the gusts from the Waldseite.

Eintracht looked positive from the off, trying to play the ball out to the wings, pushing up from midfield. But this is what Union would have wanted, and they looked exploit the inevitable gaps they left at the back. It took a waist high challenge from Tomle Schneider to make sure that the busy Antonia Halverkamps didn’t get onto Charleen Niesler’s well-aimed long ball with five minutes played.

But the guests weren’t to be cowed by Union’s record, and their approach reaped early rewards after a short, sharp passing move around the edge of Union’s box that saw the ball out to Ela Demirbas. Her cross was volleyed in by Johanna Berg – she guided the ball, side-footed, a couple of feet of the ground – to give Eintracht the lead after six minutes. Cara Bösl got a hand to the ball, flinging herself backwards, striving for it, but the shot was too well placed, had just too much on it to be thwarted.

Union responded well, as Athanasia Moraitou and Judith Steinert combined, the ball coming out to Pia Metzker on the left, her flat, low cross somehow evading the boot of Dina Orschmann, who couldn’t believe that the final touch needed to finish from a metre out evaded her as the ball rolled across the box.

Fatma Sakar had the next effort, chipping over Lina Altenburg’s goal in a move started by Steinert, suddenly playing in only one boot after Emma Memminger’s robust challenge. She just picked the missing one up and played on with it in her hand, regardless, as her team-mates attacked again.

The game stopped and started to Union’s frustration; Orschmann was certain she’d won a corner, given the other way; Halverkamps was called for a free kick when she seemed to win only the ball; Pia Metzker took Elena Mühlemann’s shot in the face from no distance at all and was momentarily floored.

Schneider then flashed one over the bar after Tessa Zimmermann’s corner, while at the other end it took a flying save from Altenburg to stop Orschmann’s drive on the turn, capping a move started by Heiseler’s ball out wide to Sakar. The Frankfurt stopper then did well to get down to her right to stop Halverkamps’ low, fizzing shot.

The game went back and forth, it was furious stuff at times, and Bösl matched her opposite number’s heroics after 32 minutes as Carlotta Schwoerer tried one from inside the 18-yard box, palming the shot away to her left.

As the crowd grew louder, especially after Orschmann was brought down near the edge of the Frankfurt box, Charleen Niesler, making her first start in the 2. Liga this season, was a vision of studied aggression, always in the right place to head clear, doing enough on the slide to throw Schwoerer off her stride when the Frankfurt player had a metre on her as she ran down the left. Her later block on Berg was vital after Markou’s misplaced pass backwards had set her suddenly off towards goal.

Orschmann then sent Metzker through, down the inside left, her pass weighted perfectly, but somehow Union’s full-back’s shot, having beaten Altenburg, rolled an inch past the back post, bending just away when it seemed to be destined to roll inside.

But, after goals in the 45th minute against both Weinberg and Bayern II, Union were to go into half time one down. They raced down the tunnel as the sun appeared.

Demirbas scores, Halverkamps gets one back

Moraitou and her international team-mate, Markou, started the second half off full of intent, the former’s clever ball to Halverkamps setting the tone as much as the latter’s tough 50-50 challenge on Zimmermann, did, leaving the Frankfurt player winded, gasping for air.

Union had come straight into the attack, with Heiseler whipping in two corners in a row, the second seeing Altenburg flailing, somehow managing to scramble the ball away on the floor. It took a tough challenge from Mina Matijevic to stop Halverkamps on the edge of the Frankfurt box with only five minutes played of the half.

Eintracht countered, and Steinert timed her own challenge on Berg precisely, sliding from behind to nudge the ball out of the striker’s path, and back to Bösl. Bösl was then equal to Schwoerer’s stabbed shot and was up in time to cover her near post as Berg followed up, but, put off by the keeper, shot wide.

They threw ever more at Eintracht, with Steinert and Heiseler knocking the ball between themselves as the defender passed the halfway line, Orschmann and Halverkamps, constantly trying to get the better of their markers. But, try as they might, Union’s attempts were constantly repelled.

Gruel responded, taking off Heiseler and Sakar for Korina Janež and Sophie Trojahn, but within moments of the change his side were two down, as Demirbas pounced onto a loose ball and rounded Bösl calmly, finishing inside the right hand upright.

Union came back. Janež passing to her left instead of shooting from the edge of the box, Markou flashing a header from Moraiotu’s pinpoint cross just wide. It took a superb stop from Matijevic to halt Metzker in her tracks as she marched towards goal.

It felt like a goal was coming for Union, and it was Halverkamps who would deliver, hammering the ball with her left foot past a helpless Altenburg with 20 minutes still to play. She rushed towards the main stand, her fingers forming a heart, her teammates flocking to her.

Within moments Gruel had swapped off the excellent Niesler for Celine Frank, signalling a move to a back four with Markou joining Orschmann up top, as the crowd found their voice again. They howled as Demirbas needed help for a cramp; they roared as Berg cynically brought down Frank as she burst up the middle; they jeered as a throw in was awarded when Schwoerer launched herself at Halverkamps, leaving a gouge a foot long on the pitch and the Union player on the floor.

Halverkamps was forced off the pitch minutes later after going down again clutching the same spot, replaced by Naika Reissner.

Orschmann looked back at her team-mates, telling them to keep their focus, pointing to her temples. Their pressure was growing perceptibly with every minute.

Union won an indirect free kick with two minutes to go after Altenburg’s time wasting with the ball in her hands.

“Die Mauer muss weg”, chanted the Unioner, harking back to the old days, smiles on their faces.

Janež, Moraitou and Orschmann stood over the ball, five yards inside the box, but Moraitou couldn’t get enough bend on it, and her shot flew wide of the back post.

Bösl was now coming a mile out of her box, as Union threw everything they had at their determined opponents, but Eintracht stood firm as the clock wound down, hanging on til the last.
Markou took a final, desperate long throw; Frank tried to find a gap; Moraitou tried to find Halverkamps, but it was all in vain. And as Orschmann volleyed the ball over with her left with the final kick of the game she held her head in her hands. They had given their all.

“Of course, this is a very bitter defeat for us today,” said Gruel at the final whistle. “Nevertheless, we tried everything until the end and even had one or two opportunities in stoppage time to at least get a point. I think we would have deserved that based on how the game went. Unfortunately, it’s a bitter defeat, but we’ll draw our conclusions and come out fighting again next week.’

After 48 competitive games, Union had finally lost a game. Even the greatest of runs has, sometimes, to come to an end.