Marie-Louise Eta becomes first female coach to lead Bundesliga side to victory

Marie-Louise Eta created history on Sunday as she became the first female coach to take charge of a Bundesliga fixture and guided her team to victory against Darmstadt. The 32-year-old, who was a former Germany youth international, was appointed as an assistant first-team coach for Die Eisernen earlier this season.

On her first experience leading a side in the division, Eta’s team secured a 1-0 victory over bottom club Darmstadt, thanks to a goal from Benedict Hollerbach just after the hour mark. Eta also fulfilled all the pre and post-match media duties.

Prior to her coaching role, Eta had achieved success as a player, winning the Women's Champions League with Turbine Potsdam in 2010. She had previously worked in the youth setup at Union Berlin before being promoted to work with the first-team squad last year.

In this particular game, Eta had to step up due to the suspension of head coach Nenad Bjelica. Bjelica was banned for three games after shoving Bayern Munich forward Robert Lewandowski in the face during a recent match. The German Football Association deemed this act as “unsporting behaviour” and imposed the ban, giving Eta the opportunity to lead the team in her first game.

After finishing fourth last season, Union Berlin has faced a tougher campaign this year. However, Eta’s inspired victory against Darmstadt helped them move five points clear of the relegation spots.