1. FC Union Berlin’s women’s team beat the in-form SC Sand 6-0in front of another big crowd on Sunday afternoon at the Alte Försterei. After Naika Reissner and Eleni Markou had given the hosts a two goal lead at half time, Reissner doubled her tally, joined on the scoresheet by Lisa Heiseler, Dina Orschmann and Sarah Abu Sabbah.

1. FC Union Berlin: Bösl – Metzker, Markou (46. Schneider), Weiss, Steinert – Heiseler (82. Rurack), Frank, Moraitou (76. Abu Sabbah) – Halverkamps (60. Janez), D. Orschmann (76. Seiro), Reissner 

SC Sand: Baum – Gaugigl (58. Kimmig), Griß (80. Kubickova), Klotz (37. Wiesner), Schaer – Bailey-Gayle (46. Way), Bantle, Homann, Takizawa – Matuschewski, Fischer 

The starting XI:

Ailien Poese made just the one change from the side who drew 2-2 last weekend in Munich. In goal was Cara Bösl, behind the back four of Pia Metzker, on the right, Eleni Markou, Anna Weiß and Judith Steinert, on the left. Celine Frank anchored the midfield three, behind captain, Lisa Heiseler, who had dropped back to where Korina Janež had been, and Athanasia Moraitou.

Up front, Naika Reissner and Antonia Halverkamps would play left and right respectively of the spearhead, Dina Orschmann.

Attendance: 5566 

Goals: 1-0 Reissner (12.), 2-0 Markou (32.), 3-0 Heiseler (51.), 4-0 D. Orschmann (68.), 5-0 Abu Sabbah (84.), 6-0 Reissner (88.) 

Reissner and Markou both score as Union start strongly

With the crunch end of the season coming, and Union’s squad still depleted heavily through injury, Union’s win over the league’s form team (apart from themselves), SC Sand, was resounding. And as Sarah Abu Sabbah roared across to celebrate with Naika Reissner, with both of them on the scoresheet, you could see how much confidence would be taken on into the crucial coming weeks.

It was as good as it gets. Union were superb in front of over 5,000 fans.

“‘I think everything went well today,” said head coach, Ailien Poese, often the side’s hardest critic, after the final whistle. “We played extremely well up front and were very purposeful... I got the feeling that everyone felt very comfortable. There is nothing I can criticise today, it was just a great game.”

But, having come into this game off the back of their own excellent run of form in 2025, Sand weren’t to be cowed into the passive resistance often seen when travelling sides come to the Alte Försterei. At least not at first.

They were keen to make an impression, their own ambitions for promotion as clear as day, and the start was marked by tackles being snapped into; Celine Frank in the middle on Rio Takizawa, Naika Reissner, further left, on Ronja Schaer, then Anna Weiß, near her own corner flag on Paige Bailey Gayle. ´

But having ridden the pressure in the opening five minutes, Union started to flex their own muscles, breaking first through Dina Orschmann, then through Naika Reissner, getting the first shot at Jule Baum’s goal, though it was hit too close to the keeper to cause her any trouble.

Orschmann was irrepressible, taking on Leni Fischer and winning as she bustled towards the Sand 18-yard box, trying to bend her shot as she reached the D inside the back post.

The mounting pressure would tell soon enough though, and Union took the lead with 12 minutes gone, and it was a fine goal, started by Antonia Halverkamps on the right, who crossed low and flat for Orschmann on the edge of the box. Having looked up, she flicked it, back, behind her standing leg, along the line to Reissner. Union’s left winger took a touch inside, shifting the ball onto her right foot before placing it past Baum for her first goal of the season.

Union pushed on after that, Heiseler heading Halverkamps’ corner just over the bar, but as top scorers in the league, Sand were patient with the ball, and Cara Bösl punched away well first from a corner, then from Schaer’s follow-up shot. Weiß eventually belted the ball away again into safety.

Reissner was electric on the left, causing Schaer no end of problems, tormenting her all day long, getting called for a foul when she brushed her off the ball at one point, sliding in to rob her before immediately setting off into the opposition half the next.

Weiß’s pace at the back was vital, making up for her mis-placed pass out when Sanja Homann tried to slip Bailey Gayle through, but giving Union’s centre-back too much of an advantage that was never going to be made up.

Then, with half an hour played, Union made it two. This time Heiseler’s corner was hit deep, swinging out to Eleni Markou. She caught the ball first time, but it bounced straight back to her off an unwitting defender in the way. Markou, who has spent most of her career as a striker before her move to the back this season, wouldn’t need a third chance, and despite the crowd around her, she shot hard and low, across Baum.

Union would have more chances. Halverkamps tested Baum from distance, as did Steinert after a superb piece of pressing from Moraitou and Steinert. Lisa Heiseler, always involved in the middle, came closer still, before Reissner crashed one just over the bar with five minutes of the half to play.

Reissner bags her second, with Heiseler, Orschmann and Abu Sabbah all chipping in as Union run riot

Despite her goal, Ailien Poese swapped Markou at the break for the fit again, Tomke Schneider, and Union roared out of the traps in the second half, Heiseler flashing at a volley inside the six yard box that she would usually bury - at least in the form she’s been in, with nine goals in the last six games. Oschmann followed it up with a diving header, put just wide, after another bristling run from Reissner down the left, cutting the ball back from the byline.

Orschmann then robbed Tabea Griß before marching forwards, her shot, on target, taking a deflection out for a corner. From the set-piece, however, Union made it three as, inevitably, Heiseler snuck into the box as Steinert’s shot was tipped away by the flying Baum. Union’s captain made it ten in seven - and 13 for the season - with little fuss.

Back in the middle, having won a tackle, showing her teeth, the captain clapped her palms together, refusing to accept any let up from herself or her teammates. And they were a whisker away from making it four when Schneider won the ball brilliantly, doggedly, before finding Halverkamps whose shot went an inch over the bar.

That was her last touch, replaced by Korina Janež with an hour gone. But to Sand’s credit, they never gave up, and it took a sliding tackle, tracking back, from Moraitou to stop one attack, before Homann screwed her own shot wide under pressure from Frank.

Union, however, still posed the greater threat, and were moving the ball about comfortably, with the occasional flourish such as that shown by Janež when she turned substitute Giulina Kimmig inside out with the deftest of touches in the centre-circle.

They would make it four when Reissner again beat Schaer, rolling the ball back and across goal for Orschmann, who had timed her slide perfectly and poked the ball home at full stretch.

Bösl still had work to do, especially when Takizawa found herself in space in the Union box, but she was off her line like a flash, snaffling the ball before the Sand striker had the time to get it out from under her feet.

Poese made two more changes, Orschmann and Moraitou making way for Elli Seiro and Sarah Abu Sabbah, and the latter was involved immediately, picking up the ball and laying it off for Reissner. Heiseler’s shot, however, was stopped by Baum after another lovely piece of footwork by Janež. But having made one more challenge at the base of midfield, setting Frank away, Heiseler was replaced by Zita Rurack.

Union weren’t done though. Not by any stretch. Seiro set off down the right, crossing for Abu Sabbah who stroked home her first competitive goal since October, which had come against Sand of course. She roared away, her fist in the air, a smile on her face a mile wide.

They would make it six when Rurack found Reissner inside left. She had Abu Sabbah breaking into space in the box, but opted to go for goal herself, blasting past Baum at the near post, the hot viciously rising all the way.

Reissner was as humble as ever at the final whistle, saying, “We did exactly what we practised all week and it worked perfectly,” but her joy was betrayed by the dance she made with the flag in her hand as the players were poured down upon with love and joy from the packed Gegengerade after the final whistle.

She had picked a hell of a time to unpack her scoring boots.