SV Eintracht Leipzig-Süd vs 1. FC Union Berlin
Womens Regionalliga Nordost, 7. Matchday
SV Eintracht Leipzig-Süd vs
Womens Regionalliga Nordost, 7. Matchday
Union Women Win in Leipzig
Match report
1. FC Union Berlin's winning streak continued into the seventh game of the Regionalliga Nordost season on Sunday afternoon. But it was far from being a stroll. SV Eintracht Leipzig-Süd, second from last in the table, made Union fight all the way for their 1-0 win. The decisive goal was scored by Luise Wildner.
SV Eintracht Leipzig-Süd: Kriegk - Wendel, Herbst (28. Stolle), Ohme, Petersohn, Reißmann, Jankowski (60. Schuster), Weber (68. Leise), Teubner, Weltz, Förster
1. FC Union Berlin: Wagner - Wildner, Schindler, Gericke, Bach (90. Westphal) - Reichenbach (73. Krauss), Kratz (73. Görsdorf), Heiseler, Rurack (90+2. Bucher) - Youssef, Spolaczyk
Goal: 0:1 Wildner (42.)
Attendance: 67
Wildner shifts wht balance for Union, just before the break
Union head coach Ailien Poese made three changes from last weeks 8-0 victory over Stern. Hannah Kratz, Zita Rurack and newly crowned German U-19 international Pauline Gericke, coming in for Pauline Wimmer, Lena Bucher and Marie Becker.
At first it seemed as if Union were just going to continue from where they left off last week, carving out the first big chance to score after just two minutes, but Elisa Spolaczyk's header came back off the crossbar. There were further chances in the first ten minutes on but they weren't taken. Megan Reichenbach and Hannah Kratz both had shots saved by the opposing goalkeeper, Anna-Lena Kriegk. After 18 minutes a header by Nour Youssef again flew just over.
After Union's strong opening period, however, the game gradually settled down. The sides cancelled each out largely, with Leipzig's defensive nous showing through, and the balance held evenly in midfield. Though they had much more of the ball, Union were lacking in ideas, they created little in front of goal.
But when it looked as if both sides had would have to be content to go into half time scoreless, Luise Wildner was able to put the Köpenickers in front. After a cross from Zita Rurack, the right-back finished neatly from inside the box. It was the 19-year-old's first goal in the red and white stripes of Union.
Second half remains scoreless
The second half continued along a similar pattern to the first, the spectators at Leipzig's Südkampfbahn watching Union with a lot of possession and dominating the game, but still without any compelling opportunities to score another. Zita Rurack had by far the best chance of the half in the 74th minute when, after a strong cross from Lisa Heiseler, she only had to nudge the ball over the line from six yards out. However, the ball slipped off the 18-year-old's foot and the score remained 1-0.
Although Union seemed largely in control, and the game took place almost exclusively in Leipzig's half, Union's single goal lead was not always assured. Indeed, with only a minute to play Leipzig suddenly broke, a lone attacker bearing down on Melanie Wagner's goal, but her touch deserted her at the last moment and Wagner was able to pick up the ball safely.
The last chance of the game fell to Elisa Spolaczyk, but her shot from the edge of the box was saved well in time added on.
In the end, it was a tough, if deserved win against dogged opponents for Union, and with it they remain top of the Regionalliga Nordost with 19 points from seven games. They are followed by Viktoria Berlin and Türkiyemspor (18 points each), although the latter still have a game in hand.
The coach and players' views after the match
After the final whistle, Ailien Poese put the victory into perspective, while looking ahead to the hugely important, top of the table match next week when Union host Türkiyemspor. "Leipzig defended with all their might for 90 minutes. It was certainly not our best game this season, but in the end we deserved to take the three points and are now fully focused on the next home game against Türkiyemspor. We look forward to lots of support next week at the Fritz-Lesch-Sportplatz."
Zita Rurack said after the final whistle, "It was quite a battle today, but we go home with three important points. Now the full focus is on next weekend."
Outlook
Kick-off for the next sunday's clash between the only unbeaten teams in the league, is at 14:00. As usual, admission is free.
Next big Clash for the Women
Match preview
After two huge home wins for the women's team of 1. FC Union Berlin, it's back to the road this Sunday as SV Eintracht Leipzig-Süd will welcome Union to the Südkampfbahn in Leipzig for the seventh game of the Regionalliga Nordost season.
The opponents
While local rivals RB Leipzig II are currently among the top teams in the league, Leipzig's second team in the Regionalliga Nordost find themselves in a very different position. With only three points from their six games so far, Eintracht Leipzig-Süd are second from bottom in the table, the Saxons' only points soming on the second day of the season with a 4-1 victory over Blau-Weiss Hohen Neuendorf. However, they are coming into this game having suffered four defeats in a row, including a 5-1 defeat in a derby against Bischofswerdaer FV last weekend.
In recent seasons the green and whites, who returned to the Regionalliga in 2018 after a three-year absence, have only ever concerned themselves with staying in the league. Last year they finished in a solid 10th place. They have a new coach in place since then, Karoline Aulrich taking over as head coach for the new season.
When looking at the Eintracht squad, one name naturally stands out, that of Anja Mittag. The striker played 158 games for the German national team from 2004 to 2017, scoring 50 goals, and has a considerable trophy collection to show for her long career. The 37 years old is a World Cup winner, three-time European champion, Olympic champion, Champions League winner and has six German championships. Mittag is now winding down her career in the city of her birth having signed up with Eintracht Leipzig-Süd last winter. However, the long-time Turbine Potsdam player (2002-2011) plays only sporadically and has not yet made an appearance this season.
The head-to-head
The teams have only faced each other four times since Leipzig's promotion to the Regionalliga in the summer of 2018, of which Union have won three and drawn one. The last two duels were clear-cut affairs, in November 2019, there was a 6-0 victory, then last season it ended 8-0. Lisa Heiseler scoring three, Elisa Spolaczyk a brace, as well as goals from Lena Bucher and Megan Reichenbach that day.
But of the four meetings, only one match has taken place in Leipzig, and that game, in October 2018, Eintracht Leipzig-Süd earned a point in a 1-1 draw with an 88th-minute equaliser.
The coach's views ahead of the match
"Of course want to continue to improve upon the way we have played in recent games. We are well aware that Leipzig can sit deep, but are also always good for a goal on the break. We need to be highly aware of this," explained head coach Ailien Poese.
Celine Frank and Sophie Trojahn, as well as Pauline Wimmer, Naika Reissner, Ginger Schulz and Zita Rurack are all in doubt for Sunday's game.
