Marie Loiuse Eta, 34, was greeted with hugs from her two daughters and husband Benjamin after her last press conference as FC Union Berlin’s head coach on Saturday May 16.
She walked out of the press conference with head high after her side pummeled FC Augsburg 4-0 to end the season midtable. She was brought in on a ship-steadying mission and she achieved it, winning two of five matches, a draw and two defeats.
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It was not a bad return for the first woman to lead a team in European football’s big leagues. Throughout the game, the fans cheered for the Eiserners.
Ms Eta had received a bouquet of flowers as a sendoff before the game kicked off, alongside other departing players, she was feted because she would be moving on to the Union Women’s team next season.
And she rewarded the fans with a resounding victory against an Augsburg team that was chasing a European ticket.
“Happy”
After game, Eta praised her team and the fans.
“Very, very happy, of course, not only the result, which was convincing in the end, but also the way we performed today,” Eta said. We had set ourselves a very high goal before the game; we really wanted to deliver a good game here at home.
“Last week in Mainz, we basically found a good mix between dominance, combination football, but also clarity and determination at the right moments, then rewarding ourselves with goals, and yes, there were certainly always things at the moment where we need to stay focused.
“But the lads implemented that very, very well, and then of course the fans came, the atmosphere picked up, and then we chatted in the corridors with the lads who came back in. It was great that I could reward them today.”
Afterwards, Eta and her family including her parents and siblings had a deserved time together before riding out of the Alte Försterei ahead of a new project in the Frauen Bundesliga next season.
It was indeed great to witness the history-making day of a pioneering woman.
