Union Lose 3-0 in Köln

Women's Fourth Bundesliga Loss

Union Lose 3-0 in Köln

1. FC Union Berlin's women's team lost 3-0 away against 1. FC Köln on the fourth matchday of the Frauen-Bundesliga season 2026/27, and remain waiting for their first points of the season. An unfortunate own goal by Nadine Böhi gave the hosts an early lead. Union improved after the break, but Pauline Bremer made it 2-0 with a header from a set piece, before Lydia Andrade wrapped things up in the 83rd minute

September 12, 2026

1. FC Union Berlin: Böhi - Janssens (86. Heiseler), Tysiak, Steuerwald, Steinert (56. Pujols) – Gräwe (32. Bauereisen), Hausicke, Kamber – Campbell, Weidauer (56. Egli), Reissner (56. Weiß)

1. FC Köln: Schmitz – Leimenstoll (46. Bohnen), Sterner, Vogt, Gerhard – Nachtigall (58. Donhauser), Elsen, Feiersinger, Jessen – Bremer (70. Andrade), Ziemer (85. Zeller)

The starting XI: Marie-Louise Eta made two changes from Monday#s game against Eintracht Frankfurt. Nadine Böhi remained in goal for the injured cara Bösl. Jill Janssens and Judith Steinert were right and left respectively of centre-backs Amber Tysiak (back, in place of Tomke Schneider) and captain, Samantha Steuerwald. Lina Hausicke was at the base of midfield, behind Lia Kamber and Lisanne Gräwe, while Eileen Campbell was on the right, and Naika Reissner the left of Sophie Weidauer, back for Lisa Heiseler, at centre-forward.

Attendance: 2,000

Goals: 1-0 Böhi (OG/19.), 2-0 Bremer (50.), 3-0 Andrade (83.)

Unfortunate Böhi gives the hosts the lead as Gräwe departs early

The optimism of the summer for the women of 1. FC Union Berlin was always going to be difficult to reconcile with a rebuilt squad, an improved league and expectations raised through the roof. There are stil reasons for hope, of course, but, following this 3-0 reverse in Köln, they have now played four, lost four. "Not the start we had hoped for," said Naika Reissner after final whistle. "[This] wasn't part of the plan," agreed Anna Weiß.

Now, the league table doesn’t always tell the unfettered truth. Union had been very good in places against Bayern but got beaten by the best team in the league. They had been good in places against Freiburg but got beaten away from home by one of the better teams in the league. They were good in places against Eintracht but got beaten by the 3rd best team in the league. They were good in places here too, but Köln had twice as many shots, and ten percent more challenges won.

"We’re also not clinical enough up front with the chances we create," said Marie-Louise Eta. "There are many areas we need to work on over the next week so that we can put in a different performance against RB Leipzig."

That things will come good is still unquestioned. They have the unerring support of the fans and huge talent in their ranks. Marie-Louise Eta said during midweek that her side needed to be courageous on a tricky trip to play 1. FC Köln at the Franz-Kremer Stadion, and they were that, too, but for all their moments of control in midfield, the passing and moving, the patience and faith in the structure, they needed to be more precise and clear-minded in their attacks against a side who now haven’t conceded in three of their four games this season.

“We actually got off to a decent start,” she continued. “But as the match went on, we fell short in too many areas.”

Second bottom of the table at kick off, without a single point on the board, Union needed to instil a little fear in the opposition again. But they weren’t to come out all blood and thunder. When Naika Reissner got the ball on the left, she halted her run to cut back and keep possession. When Lia Kamber went to trap a high ball just outside her own box, her first touch betrayed her, before winning it back with the second and sliding it sideways.

With a base established they allowed themselves the chance to advance, often through Reissner, whose pass inside almost found the run of Sophie Weidauer, then, following a clever flick with her heel and a lightning step-over, played in Judith Steinert, overlapping on the left, with the outside of her boot.

Köln were coming into this game in better form than their guests, however, and got the first shot of the game off through Sandra Jessen’s attempt that went wide of the near post. They also saw the first booking when midfielder, Laura Feiersinger, dragged Kamber from behind. The free kick drifted safely into keeper, Lisa Schmitz’s hands, before Union picked up a booking of their own for Lina Hausicke.

Union were coming under increasing pressure. Jessen flashed a cross-come-shot across goal, with Vanessa Leimenstoll looking to come in at the back post to meet it. Then came a big let off as Taylor Ziemer somehow put her header wide when all alone at the back post. Köln’s opener, when it came after 19 minutes, was therefore not unseen, but still it had hints of chaos about it. Pauline Bremer’s shot cannoned off keeper Nadine Böhi’s chest and over the line, despite the desperate sprawling lunge of the stricken stopper as she tried to claw it back in time.

It was deeply unfortunate, but Union are "currently struggling to cope with setbacks" said Eta. They never really recovered from the blow it gave.

Kamber was getting increasingly involved, leading by example, battling at one moment to win a header in the box after a steepling Janssens cross, then dropping deep to pick up the ball and pick out Eileen Campbell with it the next. Elsen was booked for pulling her down after the Swiss international had skipped around her, spinning as she went.

Union changed things around, too, as Janssens and Steinert swapped flanks, but even this almost spelled trouble as the former’s pass back to Böhi lacked the pace to reach the keeper safely. Köln should have punished the error.

Only half an hour had passed when Eta made her first change, taking off Lisanne Gräwe – who had taken a knock - for Nele Bauereisen, a striker for a midfielder.

But almost immediately, Sophie Nachtigall came close to doubling Köln’s lead when she shot on the turn.

It wasn’t all bad for the guests, far from it. Janssens, back on the right, showed the quickness of her feet as she outpaced Nachtigall, cracking her shot just over the bar. Weidauer then couldn’t control her volley from the edge of the box, and it flew across goal and wide.

Böhi would be called into action again, faultlessly so when claiming a high, out-swinging cross from the Köln left-hand side. But despite their superior number of shots (8-4 at this point, though curiously only Union had one on target) they struggled to make much more of an impact. Steuerwald dealt with Bremer easily as they tussled in the 18-yard box, but that would have proved little solace as she headed down the tunnel at the break.

Union improve, but Bremer and Andrade wrap things up for the hosts

Eta made no changes at the break, though judging by the pace Hausicke showed as she charged up the middle, there had obviously been a word or two had about her charges’ dynamism. Indeed, they would be far better in the second half, but, still, they couldn’t break through.

And, as against Bayern, they suffered an early second half blow, knocking them sideways. This time it came from a long free kick, flicked on from the edge of the box to where Böhi bustled out of her box to punch clear. The ball only flew as far as Bremer though, who threw herself at her header, driving the ball back towards goal and in.

Union were stunned, and Elsen was a whisker away from making it three when she bent a fine effort goalwards from 25 yards. Then Böhi had to get down to push Nachtigall’s brave header around the base of her post. Nachtigall had taken a vicious blow off Tysiak’s leg going for the ball, and, after a few worrying moments as she lay prone in the box, was forced off immediately.

The break in play saw the whole Union side together inside their own box, not far from where Nachtigall was still being treated. They looked shellshocked; worried for their opponent, while possibly wondering how this had happened. Eta reacted immediately, replacing Reissner, Steinert and Weidauer with Leela Egli, Judith Pujols and Anna Weiß joining the fray.

Again, they managed to shake off the cobwebs, and Bauereisen won a corner after her shot was deflected wide; Kamber’s own effort was stopped by Schmitz; Pujols’ clever pass to Egli was intercepted. When they won a pair of throw-ins on the right in a row, Eta grabbed the stray ball both times, quickly passing it to Weiß to get back into play, trying to impart urgency through action.

Chances would open up at both ends. With 20 minutes to go, Bauereisen seemed to be in, having robbed a Laura Vogt in full retreat towards her own goal, but with the net gaping, she put her shot over the bar. Ziemer then put wide when in with a good sight of Böhi’s goal at the other end almost immediately afterwards. It took a well-timed sliding tackle from Steuerwald to stop substitute, Lydia Andrade, as she was put through.

Andrade wouldn’t pass up her next chance though, this time as she ghosted in behind a Steuerwald who didn’t seem to know she was there at all. Well, she wasn’t for long, continuing her run, and nudging the ball past Böhi to make it 3-0.

The introduction of Lisa Heiseler saw Union’s captain and talisman draw a good save from Schmidtz at her near post, while seven minutes added-on were indicated from the touchline. Schmidtz miscontrolled an overhit back pass after that, but by this point it was never going to be enough.

"We fell behind in very unfortunate circumstances and, despite the possession we had, failed to score from our attacking play afterwards," said Weiß, rounding things up, having thanked the 100-plus Union fans who had made it this far west. "We’ll take that on board too: we had plenty of possession, and now it’s all about getting the ball over the line.”

The reactions to the game

“Zero points from four matches is, of course, not the start we’d hoped for. We lacked clarity in the final third today; we need to work on that and finish off our chances with more composure and confidence. On a positive note, however, we can take away from today once again that our energy and fighting spirit are high and that we didn’t give up until the very end.”

“The fact that we still haven’t picked up any points by the fourth matchday wasn’t part of the plan. We wanted to start the season differently. We knew that Köln are a very strong side and play a very physical game. Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to cope with that. We then fell behind in very unfortunate circumstances and, despite the possession we had, failed to score from our attacking play afterwards. We’ll take that on board too: we had plenty of possession, and now it’s all about getting the ball over the line.”

“Naturally, the mood after today’s match isn’t good. We’d imagined it would be different. Basically, we started the match well, but as the game went on, we were lacking in too many areas. Then we fell behind and are currently struggling to cope with setbacks. We need to work on that. But we’re also not clinical enough up front with the chances we create. There are many areas we need to work on over the next week so that we can put in a different performance against RB Leipzig."