1. FC Union Berlin’s women’s team took a huge step towards their goal of promotion on Sunday afternoon with a stunning 4-0 victory against top-of-the-table Nürnberg. Lisa Heiseler opened the scoring after 14 minutes before Dina Orschmann, Eleni Markou and Antonia Halverkamps all added to the score in the second half.

1. FC Union Berlin: Bösl – Weiß, Schneider, Markou, Steinert – Köster (13. Moraitou), Frank (83. Janez), Heiseler – Metzker (70. Sakar), D. Orschmann (70. Abu Sabbah), Reissner (83. Halverkamps) 

1. FC Nürnberg: Etzold – Meroni (64. Baumgärtel), Senelius, Thöle, Pollak (90+4. Salfelder) – Mai, Guttenberger (81. Brunmair), Mailbeck, Günster – Desic (90+4. Lindland), Lein  

The starting XI

Ailien Poese made only two changes to last week’s victorious side who overcame HSV. She started with Cara Bösl in between the sticks behind a back four of Judith Steinert, Eleni Markou, in for Charleen Niesler respectively, Tomke Schneider and Anna Weiß. Leonie Köster anchored the midfield behind captain Lisa Heiseler and in for Athanasia Moraitou – Celine Frank.

Naika Reissner and Pia Metzker were out on the wings, left and right respectively, whilst Dina Orschmann was up front.

Attendance: 5.394 

Goals: 1-0 Heiseler (14.), 2-0 D. Orschmann (53.), 3-0 Markou (61.), 4-0 Halverkamps (90.) 

Köster’s injury causes a scare. Heiseler scores immediately after

This Union side are not bound down by a lack of ambition. Their stated aim since their promotion to the 2. Liga was to get out of it, but few could have predicted how well they would adapt to the challenges and tasks they would have to face. As they met the league’s top side at the Alte Försterei, however, they were superb.

As goalscorer, Eleni Markou, said following their 4-0 win: “The fact that we achieved such a result against such a strong opponent shows the character and quality of the team. I think we have shown everyone what we can do.” They had laid down more than a marker. They had written it in neon, 20 feet high.

But they had to battle to get there, this was never going to be simple. On a pitch rutted from the previous day’s game here, with snow still piled all around the surroundings of the Alte Försterei; the ball rolled unwillingly, resentfully almost, and early challenges were clattered into. Alina Mailbeck caught Heiseler on the half-way line; Dina Orschmann tangled with Julia Pollak, leaving her piled in a heap.

Tomka Schneider managed to successfully get ahead of Nastassja Lein to an aerial ball hit directly over the top of Union’s midfield. She dealt with the situation well despite being a head shorter than her opponent. Even though it was her home debut for Union, she was a part of the only side to win here in the first half of the season – Eintracht II.

The way in which Schneider shepherded the ball away from Nastassja with only five minutes remaining and the game well over, emphasized just how well she has fitted into her new side. It appeared as though she’d been here for a decade.

However, the attritional beginning would have little to do with the cruellest of consequences for the other home debutant, Leonie Köster. She was left pounding the ground in agony having turned awkwardly. She was quickly circled by first aiders and a worried looking Heiseler. A stretcher was brought out and an instant hush fell over the stands as she was taken off the pitch.

Athanasia Moraitou replaced the midfielder, yet within a minute Union’s fear had been briefly transformed as Heiseler picked up on a mistake at the back, nipping onto the ball to the right-hand side of the six-yard box, rounding Hannah Etzold in the Nürnberg goal and rolling the ball across the line. If their thoughts were understandably with their team-mate, they had responded emphatically, the captain leading the way with the quickest of wits.

Despite this, Nürnberg are top of the league with good reason, they grew into the game and started to pose problems of their own and perhaps should have drawn level.

After the opening twenty minutes, Franziska Mai burst through the middle, but Cara Bösl rushed off her line and forced the Nürnberg player out wide, losing the chance to finish before the excellent Eleni Markou arrived in time to mop-up. Bösl would hold Medina Desic’s looping header with a certain amount of ease shortly afterwards as Nürnberg looked to get themselves back into the game.

Union looked to counter at pace, and a lovely piece of defending by Judith Steinert saw her find Dina Orschmann, who in turn played Naika Reissner through up on the left-hand side. She beat Lein and held off Luisa Guttenberger, although could not manage to get enough power on her shot at full stretch to cause any real trouble for Etzold.

The guests then should have scored when Desic, a mile behind the Union defence after an attack had broken down, suddenly received the ball on a plate by the unwitting Moraitou. Disbelievingly almost at the luxury granted to her, she glanced around, took a touch and shot, however she snapped at her effort. Bösl had stood her ground and saved with her legs.

It was a huge let off and they knew it. Spurred on, Union were resolute and got themselves back onto the front foot.  Heiseler found Reissner once more on the left-hand side; she had the beating of Klara Svensson Senelius, yet Etzold held her drive which was fired too close to the keeper. Orschmann then did one better, aiming towards Nürnberg’s right-hand upright, but again the keeper managed to stop the ball on the line. Union were in the ascendancy. Heiseler skipped onto Reissner’s pass, but her cross was headed clear before Pia Metzker could connect with her header inside the box.

They had ridden out the storm, and with the sun scrapping through the crystal clear, bitterly cold skies over Köpenick, went into the break fully deserving of their lead.

Union run rampant. Orschmann, Markou and Halverkamps all add to the tally

An unchanged Union began the second half much as they had finished the first, with charging runs from both Reissner and Orschmann up through the middle, before Nürnberg countered, only to be thwarted by another superbly timed tackle from Schneider.

Reissner did better still after fifty minutes of play, turning inside Svensson Senelius at full pace, shooting across goal this time, although Etzold did well diving to her left-hand side.

The pressure was telling and a moment later Union had won a penalty as Heiseler’s shot cannoned off Luisa Guttenberger’s hand inside the penalty area. The Nürnberg players were livid, instantly surrounding the referee, Celina Böhm, but their complaints made little difference.

Nor did Orschmann bat so much as an eyelid. She already had the ball in her hand as Böhm flashed a yellow card at Desic and waited before putting the spot kick powerfully and high past Etzold at her right-hand side.

Unions determination to keep on going showed as Orschmann won a corner out on the right-hand side. She turned immediately to slap palms with Heiseler, who would take the set-piece, and Metzker who had made the pass to win it.

Maybe it was a sign of the togetherness that had seen them this far; maybe her prescience was showing. Heiseler whipped the ball into the six-yard box, lofted and swinging outwards, where Markou planted a towering header to make it 3-0 for Union.

They were rampant, and soon enough had yet another penalty as Reissner again danced through the rattled Nürnberg defence. This time, Steinert stood up, and though she connected well, she went the same way as Orschmann and Etzold cleverly spotted it, saving the ball as she dived to her left-hand side once again. Heiseler put too much into her full-blooded follow-up drive, hitting it over the bar with the goal wide open in front of her eyes.

As Union continued their onslaught, Nürnberg broke, and it took a brilliant piece of defending from Anna Weiß as she came across to stop Lein in her tracks before she could manage to get a shot off. Baumgärtel would slice her volley over not long after.

However, these were outliers, and soon enough Markou was the next to come close as her hip-high volley, following Etzold’s punched clearance, flew just over the crossbar.

With twenty minutes left to play, Poese made her first changes, taking off Metzker and Orschmann for Fatma Skar and Sarah Abu Sabbah, the latter receiving an enormous roar as she returned from the hell of a four-month injury lay-off.

The pressure was well and truly off Union’s shoulders, and they were now beginning to enjoy themselves; Frank allowing herself a break forward, pulling the ball back, just behind Abu Sabbah; Reissner clipping an intended cross into the box which almost dropped under the crossbar. It was to be the pair’s final touches of the day, as with ten minutes remaining, they departed, replaced by Antonia Halverkamps and Korina Janež.

Abu Sabbah was not quite done yet though, and you could see the desperation upon her face as she chased a ball which Etzold had the jump on her for, almost winning it as the keeper raced out of her goal, receiving a knock in the process, yet springing straight back up to her feet. Once again, she had the keeper under immense pressure following a loose back pass with five minutes on the clock to go. With only seconds remaining, she could simply not believe that she was called offside having seemingly sprung the Nürnberg offside trap.

However, that was not it. Halverkamps would make it four, and round off a wonderful performance, when she bent a twenty-five-yard effort past Etzold and into the top corner. She turned and pointed to the badge on her shirt.

Poese had talked in midweek of the need for her side to take their chances, and here it was all on show. “We played confidently, were patient and very attentive” she said after the final whistle. “So, I have the utmost respect for all the players who put their hearts out on the pitch today.”

If that was a fitting end to a game, with Union having not only reduced the gap at the top to a single point, but also having done so in style, there was a flourish to come. With the final whistle long blown, and the players celebrating in front of the more than 5,000 Union fans who had stayed on the Gegengerade throughout, Anna Weiß appeared amongst them all with a beaming Köster on her back, her crutches in one fist, the other punching the air as the fans sung her name.

With spirit like that, they’ll take some stopping.