Leipzig beats Union Berlin and deals trailblazing coach Marie-Louise Eta another defeat

BERLIN (AP) — After being accused of sexism for a social media post, Leipzig defeated Union Berlin 3-1 in the Bundesliga on Friday and dealt coach Marie-Louise Eta her second defeat in as many games in charge. Max Finkgräfe, Romulo and Ridle Baku scored for Leipzig to consolidate third place and move closer to Champions League qualification after five straight wins. Eta made her debut as the first female coach in the Bundesliga — or any of the top divisions in Europe’s big five men’s leagues — last weekend in a 2-1 loss at home to relegation-threatened Wolfsburg. She’s been the subject of a torrent of sexist abuse on social media and Leipzig was accused of joining in on Thursday when it responded to a post on X from Union saying it was a “nice city” with photos of Eta posing with former Leipzig coach Marco Rose and former players Dominik Szoboszlai and Emil Forsberg with the words, “Your head coach didn’t just find the city pretty nice...” The photos were from Eta’s internship at Leipzig in 2022, and Eta initially posted them herself on Instagram on Jan. 1, 2023. Eta, who was Union’s men’s under-19s coach, was appointed head coach for the last five games of the season to secure Bundesliga survival. Union, which is six points above the relegation zone before the rest of the 31st round, next faces Cologne, Mainz and Augsburg. Danilho Doekhi scored Union’s consolation with a header to a corner in the 77th, and substitute Ilyas Ansah thought he scored another in stoppage time only to have it ruled out for offside. \\\_ AP soccer: