Marie-Louise Eta's debut as the first female coach in the Bundesliga was marked by both triumph and disappointment for Union Berlin. Despite facing high expectations from fans and media alike, Eta could not secure a win against Wolfsburg, resulting in a 2-1 defeat at home on Saturday.
The match began with a sense of occasion, as Eta was greeted with cheers and applause from the Union Berlin supporters. However, the team struggled to convert their dominance into goals, allowing Patrick Wimmer and Dženan Pejčinović to score early in each half for Wolfsburg. Goalkeeper Kamil Grabara played a crucial role in keeping the scoreline close.
In her post-match press conference, Eta expressed disappointment at the result but praised the team's performance and execution of their game plan. 'First of all, of course I'm disappointed that we lost this game,' she said. 'But I'm very happy with how we approached it today, with the lads' performance.'
The 34-year-old Eta has already made history as the first woman assistant coach in the men's Bundesliga and had been coaching the under-19 men's team at Union. Her appointment as interim head coach came with five games to go before the end of the season, but after four matches, Union is now just one point away from the relegation zone.
Union Berlin faces a challenging schedule in their remaining fixtures, including an away match against Leipzig and a home game against Cologne. The team will also face former coach Urs Fischer at Mainz before concluding the season with a home match against Augsburg on May 16.
Defender Derrick Köhn expressed confidence in Eta's coaching approach: 'We clicked quickly,' he said. 'She shared her game plan with us, and we implemented what she gave us. There's not too much new, so we feel very, very comfortable with her. We tried, especially today, to give her the win as a present, but unfortunately, we didn't succeed.'
Despite the loss, Eta remains focused on the task ahead: 'As I said, we'll move on. We'll try to analyze this and then prepare for Leipzig and try to give her her present there,' Köhn added.
