1. FC Union Berlin’s women beat FC Ingolstadt 5-0 after a fine away performance on a grey Sunday morning. After Eleni Markou’s second minute opener, she was joined on the scoresheet by Athanasia Moraitou, Dina Orschmann, Sophie Trojahn and Pia Metzker.
1. FC Union Berlin: Bösl – Markou (66. Weiß), Becker, Steinert – Sakar, Janez, Moraitou (77. Blaschka), Heiseler (66. Frank), Metzker – Halverkamps (66. Trojahn), D. Orschmann
FC Ingolstadt 04: Daum – Timmermann, Krist, Fritz, Wolski – Schwarz (75. Vidovic), Bogenschütz, Slipcevic, Reischmann, Reininger (57. Penzkoffer) – Burkard
The starting XI:
In Ailien Poese’s continued absence, her assistant – Sven Gruel, made just two changes from last week’s defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt II. Cara Bösl was in goal, behind a back three of Judith Steinert, Eleni Markou and the returning Marie Becker.
Pia Metzker and Fatma Sakar featured on the left and right respectively as wing-backs, while Athanasia Moraitou, captain, Lisa Heiseler and Korina Janež were in midfield, with the former returning to the starting line-up for the first time since September’s visit of Weinberg, leaving Dina Orschmann and last week’s goalscorer, Antonia Halverkamps, to lead the line up-front.
Attendance: 131
Goals: 0:1 Markou (3.), 0:2 Moraitou (26.), 0:3 D. Orschmann (31.), 0:4 Trojahn (71.), 0:5 Metzker (90+1.)
Markou’s lightning start matched by Moraitou and Orschmann
Sunday morning. There were grey skies circling Ingolstadt, with the trees all around the aging and somewhat unromantically named Betriebssportanlage Ingolstadt-Mitte, complementing the fading maroon of the running track and the brown of the crumbling club house. It directly clashed with the seven steps of the weathered grey concrete stand running along one side and the brutal-looking wall behind one of the goals – ten-foot high along with a couple of blue and white throw-ups breaking up the brickwork around its brutalist facade.
Yet, if the morning weather appeared a little drab, Union were nothing of the sort. They seemed determined to put last week’s disappointing loss at home to Eintracht Frankfurt II immediately behind them and flew out of the blocks, winning a corner after only two minutes in, as Anna-Lena Daum tipped Antonia Halverkamps’ shot over the bar at full stretch. However, she would have known just how dangerous the visitors are from set-pieces – they’ve proved it all season long.
Accordingly, the ball directly landed by Lisa Heiseler onto Eleni Markou’s forehead, as if laser guided. Markou rose, not unchallenged, rather unbothered, shrugging off her marker and finishing with an elegant forcefulness.
Union had found their rhythm from the get-go and were knocking the ball around with purpose. Had Pia Metzker not overhit her pass inside towards Dina Orschmann with a touch less pace, then it could so easily have been two before the quarter-hour mark.
They also displayed their strength, as Moraitou confidently did when she brushed Stefanie Reischmann off the ball, shoulder-to-shoulder, as the hosts tried to impose themselves along with their technical skill, as did Korina Janež shortly after, lifting the ball over the head of Kerstin Bogenschutz with an ease almost approaching disdain.
Shortly after, Dina Orschmann had a word with herself under her breath, having flicked Judith Steinert’s curling ball in from the left wide of goal.
Orschmann almost repeated the move once again on 22 minutes, but this time it would lead to Union’s second goal. Janež’s corner was whipped in towards the near post, yet instantly cleared, Daum parrying on the line with both hands. However, the ball fell to Moraitou and she did not think twice, rifling a shot from 25 yards with her left-foot, through the crowded box and inside Daum’s left-hand post. The keeper got another touch, but there was too much power on it, as was it too well placed.
She came together with Markou, the pair of them dancing, one hand on the other’s shoulder, right feet swinging, as one in a Sunday morning Sirtaki.
Union were not finished. After half-an-hour, Antonia Halverkamps found Orschmann just inside the box – the goal gaping in front of her. This wasn’t a chance she would pass up following the disappointment of last week – she scored her fifth goal of the season with power and precision, but also with the coolest of heads.
At the other end, when Kerstin Bogenschütz and Magdalena Schwarz combined, Steinert was there to sweep up, her hundred-plus Bundesliga games giving her all the experience she’d ever need to anticipate the rapid change of direction.
Union went into the break with their worries from last weekend all but behind them.
Union sit deeper, but Trojahn strikes. Metzker makes it five at the end
The sick Ailien Poese’s capable assistant – Sven Gruel, had made no changes at half time and following a brief flurry, it was Ingolstadt who would have the first real chance. Cara Bösl made an outstanding stop, low at her near post, from Magdalena Schwarz’s shot on the run.
Ingolstadt were pushing higher now, a change in mentality spotted by Becker who urged her fellow defenders, Markou and Steinert, to step up to meet them. They did so and still remained largely untroubled; when Schwarz turned Steinert in the box, she looked up only to see a wave of yellow and white shirts washing towards her, Markou had to hook the ball away immediately. Gruel would call this solidity “the key to the performance.”
“We didn’t give our opponents any space and were able to win back possession time and again,” he continued. “The first focus must always be on defence and that’s how we’ll always get off to a good start.”
When Nadja Burkard shot from range with half-an-hour left to play, Bösl was more than equal to it and when Sakar allowed Lea Wolski to get in front of her, she darted back into position, using her strength to allow the ball to roll out to safety again. Later, she was in the perfect position to cover, as Burkard threatened, having twisted her way towards Union’s penalty spot with the ball at her toe.
With 66 minutes on the clock, Gruel made his changes, bringing on Sophie Trojahn, Anna Weiß and Celine Frank for Heiseler, Markou and Halverkamps.
Every time Union had a dead ball, they seemed to threaten and it was suddenly 4-0 following yet another corner – this time played short, before being hit into the box from the left. Whilst the box was full, Steinert laid the ball off for Sophie Trojahn, ghosting into the D, unseen and with space to score with her first time right-footed shot. It was her first goal for Union since scoring in the 11-2 decimation of Türkiyemspor 11 months ago.
Moraitou was soon off, replaced by Anouk Blaschka with ten minutes left to play. By now, it was merely a matter of seeing out the remainder of the game – or at least, so you’d have thought, but Pia Metzker wasn’t done yet and the hardest working of fullbacks rounded things off with practically the last kick of the game with a sublime finish, slotted into an empty net with a side-foot and a cool-head.
Last weekend had been just a blip after all – Gruel said after the final whistle how good it was to “free their frustrations” from last weekend. For Union, this had been the best of Sunday mornings they could have hoped for.