Marie-Louise Eta: “The belief was there the whole time"

Marie-Louise Eta: “The belief was there the whole time"

Union Berlin earned their first point under their interim coach Marie-Louise Eta in a spectacular fashion on Saturday. The hosts scored twice in the last 20 minutes against Köln to all but secure league safety.

"The lads gave their all on the pitch,” said the trailblazer coach after the game. “With the equalizer, the stadium came alive again. That unleashed a lot of energy. The belief was there the whole time.”

Eta made five changes from the poor showing in the 3-1 defeat to RB Leipzig on matchday 31. The unexpected decision to replace the all-rounder Leopold Querfeld with the error-prone Stanley Nsoki was the subject of question for Eta in the post-match interview.

"He'd been performing well in training and was in contention. That's why he started the game," responded the 34-year-old coach. On the contrary, the introductions of Christopher Trimmel and Livan Burcu off the bench changed the game in the latter stage.

"I'm delighted for him (Burcu),” Eta said about the Turkey U21 international after his first Bundesliga goal. “He showed that he can deliver in exactly these moments. He has excellent finishing skills in the final third. He took control of the game and confirmed what he's shown in training," she praised the striker who spent last season on loan at 2. Bundesliga outfit Magdeburg.

Union Berlin could be safe from relegation concerns even before a trip to their former coach Urs Fischer’s club Mainz next weekend. For that to happen, St. Pauli should lose to Mainz and fail to beat on Sunday.