The Game Turned Late
Union Berlin's Marie-Louise Eta made history on Sunday, becoming the first female head coach to win a game in one of Europe's top five men's leagues as her side beat Mainz 3-1 in the German Bundesliga.
Eta, who took over after Steffen Baumgart was fired last month, had managed just one draw and two losses before this victory. She punched the air in celebration and joined her players in applauding the fans after the final whistle.
The trophy did not need much decoration; the season had already done most of the talking.
"You're happy, you want to win games. That's always the case," she told DAZN. "The way it happened was great too, how we managed to pull it off."
The Small Details Added Up
She deflected questions about the historic nature of her achievement, insisting the focus should remain on results. "It's been about doing the job as well as possible, getting points, winning games," Eta said. "We've invested a lot so it's great that we could get the three points here today."
The match was interrupted for several minutes in the first half as Union fans threw tennis balls onto the field in protest against league scheduling.
Eta's tenure ends next week when Union hosts Augsburg in the season finale. She has already agreed to take charge of the Union women's team for the next campaign.
The Table Looks Different
Mainz, led by former Union coach Urs Fischer, remains 10th in the table.