Union Berlin's Marie-Louise Eta made history on Sunday, becoming the first female head coach to win a game in European soccer's top five men's leagues. Her team defeated Mainz 3-1 in the Bundesliga.
Eta punched the air and joined her players to applaud Union's fans after the final whistle—a celebration that marked her first win in her fourth game as interim coach.
"You're happy, you want to win games. That's always the case," she told broadcaster DAZN. "The way it happened was great too, how we managed to pull it off."
The victory was Union's first since March. Eta took over last month after the club fired Steffen Baumgart, recording one draw and two losses before Sunday's result.
While acknowledging her role carries "social impact," Eta insisted the focus remained purely on results. "It's been about doing the job as well as possible, getting points, winning games," she said. "We've invested a lot so it's great that we could get the three points here today."
Her tenure ends next week when Union hosts Augsburg in the ir final game of the season. She has already agreed to take charge of the Union women's team next season.
Match interruption
The game was halted for several minutes in the first half when Union fans threw tennis balls onto the field in protest against league scheduling.
Mainlin, led by former Union coach Urs Fischer, sit 10th in the Bundesliga table.
Relegation battle brewing
The Bundesliga heads into a final-day relegation showdown next week with three teams level on points. Heidenheim beat Cologne 3-1 on Sunday to move up to 17th, joining Wolfsburg in 16th and St. Pauli in 18th.
Midfielder Jan Schöppner scored twice, ending a six-month goal drought. The teams in 17th and 18th face automatic relegation, while 16th place enters a two-leg promotion-relegation playoff.
Wolfsburg plays St. Pauli next week, with Heidenheim hosting Mainz.