1. FC Union Berlin: Bösl – Weiß, Georgieva, Steuerwald, Steinert (64. K. Orschmann) – Halverkamps (46. Bauereisen), Hipp, Heiseler (90. Reissner), D. Orschmann (74. Heikkinen) – Weidauer, Campbell

1. FC Nürnberg: Rusek – Senelius (60. Homann), Fördos, Wos (83. Fröhlich), Pollak – Miller, Guttenberger (83. Gambone), Mai, Meroni (78. Licina) – Polaskowa (60.Baumgärtel), Lein

The starting XI: Ailien Poese made just one change from the eleven that started against Eintracht Frankfurt on Monday. Cara Bösl was in goal behind Marina Georgieva, replacing Katha Orschmann, Samantha Steuerwald and Judith Steinert. Anna Weiß and Dina Orschmann were right and left wing-backs, respectively. Jenny Hipp anchored a midfield three, just behind Antonia Halverkamps and captain Lisa Heiseler. Sophie Weidauer and Eileen Campbell were up front.

Campbell opens the scoring, Heiseler doubles it. Polaskova pulls one back

There times recently, when it had been easy to forget just what a year it had been for the women of 1. FC Union Berlin, especially as an injury depleted team had to face the giants of Bremen, Bayern and Wolfsburg. But they had come back together. They had shown their spirit in spades. And on Saturday afternoon, they showed it again.

The fans were dwarfed in the cavernous expanses of the Max Morlock Stadion on a bright winter Saturday afternoon, the home section a splodge, spreading out from the halfway line, the away one a triangle, wedged into one corner. Though the last game of 2025, this was of course the first game of the second half of the season, and one with more than pride at stake. With their win, Union would overtake FCN to go into Christmas in ninth.

The hosts had improved considerably, certainly since last year’s 4-0 decimation at the Alte Försterei, and their last-gasp capitulation in the title race, but Union looked determined to take some momentum out of their fabulous second half performance against Frankfurt on Monday into this. Early on, Lisa Heiseler and Dina Orschmann linked up in the middle; Heiseler and Antonia Halverkamps tried a clever short corner routine; Sophie Weidauer tried to juggle her way into space from a Heiseler crfoss from the left.

Judith Steinert, fresh from the announcement of her new contract – and one of the standout players of the season so far – was her usual whirring self on the left-hand-side, getting booked before ten minutes were up for kicking the ball away in frustration.

Union were starting to play, and following a botched corner, they broke through Campbell, who was clattered over in starting a move that swept via Hipp and Heiseler to Orschmann. Her final ball, though clever in intent, was just too far ahead of Weidauer for her to be able to exploit.

Campbell also was at the heart of Union’s next attack, racing 25 yards from her own half., her chest out, head up, picking out Orschamnn, who this opted to try and chip the keeper, Larissa Rusek, though seeing the ball sail just over.

With 20 minutes gone, Cara Bösl in Union’s goal, had to make her first decisive interventions, both times as tricky backpasses came her way. The first saw her suddenly under pressure from Nastassja Lein, though she got the ball out from under her feet smartly and cleared; the second when Hipp’s pass back seemed to get held up in the mud of her goalmouth and bobbled dangerously as she readied herself for a long clearance.

Making her first start, Marina Georgieva was looking assured at the back, her tackle on the dangerous Lara Meroni on 25 minutes being a masterclass in patient, strong defending, watching the ball instead of the Nürnberg player’s dancing feet, waiting, then timing her tackle to perfection.

It was somewhat illustrative of a game that was yet to really take flight, that when Weiß did well to win a corner for Union on the right, the resulting set-piece fell into a gap between Hipp and Campbell in the box, and though it would be lofted back into the box, Orschmann could only put her header wide.

Union, however, were stepping up, and the game would explode into life soon enough. Union took the lead after Campbell slid another ball into the path of Weidauer. She cut back from the byline, the ball bounding off an unfortunate defender’s Achilles heel, straight into the path of Campbell, continuing her run int the box. She finished first time without so much as a pause for thought

Campbell was wreaking havoc, and only three minutes later Beatrix Fördös handled from her cross from the right-hand edge of the box, Orschmann the intended target. Referee, Franziska Wildfeuer, pointed immediately to the spot. After Monday’s excitement that saw the one penalty come back off the post, and the next saved (if ultimately converted by Hipp), Heiseler was sure to take this one. And sure enough she stroked it home to Rusek’s left.

But if Union thought they were now bossing this, they had another thought coming, because only two minutes after that Aneta Polaskova picked the ball up just inside the Union half, drove a couple of steps forward, and unleashed a fine drive from30 yards, beating Bösl, nestling the ball inside the back post.

Rusek keeps the hosts in it

Ailien Poese brought nele Bauereisen on at half time, facing her old club for the first time in place of Halverkamps, and though she was quickly involved as Union tried patiently to create something on the right, it was Weiß, on the opposite side, back by her own goal-line, who had to make the first important tackle. She stopped Lein with a certain ease before trying to spring a break up the left.

The move led to another Union corner, and they were trying out all the variations, this one hit short by Heiseler to Hipp, who backheeled it in return to the overlapping captain. Despite the variety, Heiseler’s cross was still repelled without ever causing too much danger. They did better from the other side with seven minutes gone since the break, when Hipp launched one deep and swinging into the box, though, still, it was cleared.

Still Nürnberg tried to get back into things, and Bösl had to be watchful as Lein – having had enough oof attacking down the wing, cut inside Weiß and aimed one for the back post.

Laura Miller, meanwhile, left Heiseler on the floor, blood coming from her nose, her stray elbow landing on the Union captain.

Union had ridden that brief storm as Campbell, having one of her best games for the club, won Union’s next corner, and as Katja Orschmann replaced Steinert, with just over an hour gone. And it was Campbell who was brought down by Sanja Homann that saw Georgieva’s header plucked out of the air by Rusek.

Bauereisen caught her right-footed shot nicely, aiming for the back post, but Rusek got down well to it, and when Orschmann was taken off with just over 15 minutes to go, replaced by Ida Heikkinen, she was fulsome in her instruction and encouragement to the young Finn as they crossed paths on the touchline.

The game had drifted, much as it it had during parts of the first half, and chances were few and far between. But those that did come, came for Union. First, Rusek made a wonderful stop from Bauereisen with 82 minutes gone, meeting the Union players strong header from a corner, flying to her right, clawing the ball away as it seemed to be passing her at speed. Then Heiseler couldn’t get enough on her shot when she seemed certain to finish things.

With five minutes of time added on played out, and the Nürnberg players now packing the box foor a questionable final free kicxk, the worries on the bench were palpable, thoughts going back to the last time these sides met, let alone to HSV a couple of weeks ago.

But as it was hoicked away by Bauereisen, the cries from the fans in their corner, and Poese and her staff on the bench, and the players on the pitch told their own story. Union had leapfrogged Nürnberg to be ninth in the Bundesliga at Christmas.

At the start of this astonishing year, it’s almost exactly where they’d have wanted to be.

The reactions to the game

Lisa Heiseler: “It was a very important win today. We've certainly had better games this year, but the three points are hugely significant for us and I'm incredibly proud that we were able to take the points back to Berlin with us today.”

Cara Bösl: "We're obviously very happy to have picked up the three points. I'm very proud of how the team handled the situation confidently in extra time. It certainly wasn't a particularly attractive game today, but in the end, what counts is that we won. I'm also very happy that we were able to improve in the penalty shootout today."

Ailien Poese: “The game was really wild from start to finish. Basically, there was very little structure, although we did quite well at times before getting in our own way again. I'm happy and relieved that the team rewarded themselvesafter such a difficult game and that we scored two goals.”