Highlights in the video
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Marie-Louise Eta celebrated her first victory as coach of 1. FC Union Berlin. The 34-year-old and the Iron team won 3-1 (1-0) against 1. FSV Mainz 05 on matchday 33 of the Bundesliga. Andrej Ilic gave the guests the lead in the 38th minute. Of all people, ex-Union player Sheraldo Becker (48th) scored the deserved equalizer shortly after the break. But Oliver Burke (88th) and Josip Juranovic (90th + 1) ensured the historic success in the fourth game under Eta shortly before the end. She is the first woman to lead a club to success in the Bundesliga.
A protest by Berlin supporters also caused a stir, throwing tennis balls onto the lawn in the first half and causing an interruption of several minutes. They were protesting against the scheduling of games on Sundays this season. “Season 25/26: 7,000 km on Sundays”, “Your scheduling remains a farce!” and “Make kick-off times fair,” said the big red banners of the Union supporters.
In terms of sport, the final game of the penultimate match day was virtually meaningless. It was no longer possible for both clubs to stay in the league; qualification for the European Cup was already out of reach for both Mainz and Berlin. At least for Mainz coach Urs Fischer, the game was probably special. The Swiss was Union’s coach from summer 2018 to November 2023 and not only led the club into the Bundesliga for the first time, but also into each of the three European Cup competitions.
Zentner with a comeback for Mainz 05 after half a year
For the first time since November 27th, Robin Zentner was in goal for the hosts. The goalkeeper was missing for months due to an adductor injury, but he managed to make a comeback in time for the last home game of the season. Zentner replaced Daniel Batz, who the FSV said goodbye to before kick-off. The 35-year-old, who decided against extending his contract, was loudly celebrated by fans with “Daniel Batz” chants. The Rheinhessen also said goodbye to Armindo Sieb, Maxim Leitsch and Niklas Tauer, whose contracts expire in the summer.
Zentner was also challenged early on when he used a strong reflex to prevent Ilic from going behind (9′). Shortly after FSV defender Danny da Costa had to leave the field injured (16th), the Union fans caused a minute-long interruption by throwing tennis balls. Despite the unplanned break, the guests remained the more active team and were rewarded with Ilic, who took the lead with a header. Zentner didn’t look particularly good this time and flew past Aljoscha Kemlein’s cross. Mainz remained harmless offensively for long stretches of the first half.
That changed after the break: Becker equalized after an exemplary cross from Paul Nebel. In the 57th minute, the Zero Fives celebrated again, but striker Phillip Tietz’s remarkable goal was disallowed after a review due to an offside position. After that, both teams tried hard, but there was no goal until the final phase. Then Burke and Juranovic struck for Köpenick and ended their six-game winless streak.
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