BERLIN, April 18 - Union Berlin's historic appointment of Marie-Louise Eta as the Bundesliga's first woman head coach began with a 2-1 home defeat to VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday.
Eta, the club's former Under-19 coach, was named interim manager last week following the dismissal of Steffen Baumgart. She will lead the men's first team until the end of the season before moving to the club's women's side. Her groundbreaking appointment has been met with derogatory social media comments, which the club has condemned.
On the field, Patrick Wimmer put relegation-threatened Wolfsburg ahead in the 11th minute. Dzenan Pejcinovic doubled their lead a minute after halftime. Union Berlin pulled a goal back through Oliver Burke in the 86th minute but could not find an equalizer.