They had been here before. For the 92^nd minute at home to Leverkusen a fortnight ago, read the 95^th at home to Jena on Sunday afternoon. For Jena in the cup in November, read... well, Jena today.

This was a devastating loss; and when looked at in isolation, it seems almost impossible. But maybe we should have read the signs. Twice last year Union had played FC Carl-Zeiss Jena, winning one and losing one. But both games had seen a similar pattern develop. Union would dominate the ball and create the lion’s share of chances. but Jena are nothing if not determined, the most resilient of teams; even if they had start to the year spent kicking their studs, with only a friendly against Erfurt to get the blood going, as both of their first games of 2026 were postponed due to the weather.

Still, as Olivia Alcaide nipped in between Cara Bösl and Amber Tysiak to bag the winner, with Union having done all but the same at the other end, it felt harsh.

Union, of course, knew they had to be patient, but from the off they looked ready to make things right, and Dina – one of two Orschmanns on the scoresheet in the last league game against these opponents - started off winning a corner on Union’s right after just a minute. Lisa Heiseler took it, deep, to the back post, but just too high for last weekend’s double-scorer, Eileen Campbell to head down towards goal.

As expected, Union started off with most of the ball, pushing Jena back well into their own half. When they dropped off, Tanja Pawollek advanced, the ball at her toe, catching her drive well, but just too high. And when Jena dared to advance, Ida Heikkinen tackled Emily Reske as clean as you like. The Finn had largely played as a full-back for much of her career. She is flourishing at wing-back – though spending much of the first half joining the midfield when Union attacked - and inside, Samantha Steuerwald, showed her own prowess after nine minutes when she intercepted Isabella Jaron’s clever pass forwards.

Union flickered without making the killer breakthrough in those opening phases; Campbell tried to flick the ball around the last defender having played a smart one-two with Lia Kamber; Eurlings looked to line up a shot from the edge of the box but laid it off as the gap in front of her snapped shut.

But hearts were racing briefly when both Heiseler and Cara Bösl went for the same ball, an out-swinging cross from the right, that squirmed free of the pair. Fortunately, Suya Häring was just out of place, expecting the Union players to have got a touch that never came.

Union broke quickly when they needed to, and Orschmann almost set Kamber away with a lovely, instinctive first touch in the Jena Half. Kamber then hit the post with 24 minutes gone, having been played in after a lovely, flowing move that started with Eurlings and Orschmann, and saw Heiseler play the midfielder in, 25 yards out, with the simplest of passes into the space in front of her.

Campbell was next up, and Jasmin Janning in the Jena goal, had to fling herself full to her left to tip it around the post.

Union had been here before of course and they had to remain focussed as Jena repelled their attacks with grim regularity. It resembled both the games against them last year at times. Union’s best chances came from distance, such as when Kamber hit a speculative effort from out on the right that dropped just over the bar, catching Janning suddenly off her line. Heisler almost repeated the trick, if from a little nearer the goal, with five minutes of the half to play. 

Union tried variations at their repeated set-pieces; when Orschmann was hauled to the floor with the end of the half looming, Heiseler tried something else with the resulting free kick, clipping it to the right of the box, but still, they couldn’t break through. The next one saw Janning, again, sprawling to her right to stop Pawollek’s header

With the last kick of the half, Eurlings flashed wide when played in by Kamber, looking up, trying to beat Janning at the near post.

The Union players were out early, under chilly, darkening skies, unchanged. But it was the guests who came closest to making an early breakthrough when Häring saw her shot clip the top of the bar, after Bösl had uncharacteristically given the ball away to Melina Reuter inside her own box, trying to play it out into a gap too small. It had been a let-off. Indeed, Jena had come out with a greater sense of adventure than before, and Pawollek was called quickly into action, making a fine sliding tackle on the edge of her own box just a minute later.

Union were quick to try and re-establish themselves however,  and Orschmann saw her own shot saved by Janning after Campbell’s smart lay-off from the byline. Kamber won the next corner with 54 minutes up, her shot from range deflected well over. But again – every time – it found too many players  in blue and yellow in the box.

It was then that Ailien Poese made her first change, Naika Reissner coming on for Heikkinen on the left. Reissner had brought extra impetus last weekend, and it was hoped she would be able to cause problems here up the wing. Union continued to press, but Campbell was thronged by Gwendolyn Mummert, Toma Ihlenburg and Elena Mühlemann  when she shifted the ball from foot to foot in the box, shuffling, trying to get it free enough to get a shot away. 

Bösl did well on the stroke of the hour, stopping Reuter’s next effort, but just after the hour she would do better. Jena broke again, this time finding themselves with three against two, Steuerwald and Amber Tysiak backpedalling. Reuter passed to Häring who passed it back to Reuter. She finished with her left, beating Bösl’s dive with her well placed shot.

History suddenly seemed to be repeating itself, but then history would do well to remember the name of Lisa Heiseler. When union were a goal down last week, it was the captain who dragged them, back into things. And here she did so again, whipping her free kick from all of 30 yards, over the wall, dipping and drifting inside the back post. Anna Weiß was an inch away from getting the decisive touch, but she wasn’t needed.

Captain fantastic had done it again.

Poese changed again, now taking off Eurlings and Weiß for Nele Bauereisen and Judith Steinert, herself back  after a long injury layoff. With it they went to a back four, at the heart of which Steuerwald made  a vital tackle, as Jaron primed to shoot from inside the box.

The shackles now off, Orschmann charged onwards, her chest out, head up, running full-pelt, only stopped when she was dragged back, almost by the throat. It was a battle down there, and Bösl was the next victim, flattened by Rieke Tietz as they went for the same high ball, almost at the Union  goal line. As the stopper crumpled to the surface play carried on, and she looked up  anxiously, briefly, until eventually Tysiak belted  the ball away into the heavens.

The game had opened up like an old tin can now, with Bauereisen having the next chance, cracking a shot towards Janning’s left-hand post from range, having been given the ball by Reissner after another typical, dangerous, jinking run. The former Union player, Josefine Bonsu then flicked a header just wide  of Bösl’s post, the keeper scrambling to get across in time to be certain.

When Janning went down with a little over five minutes to play and the temperatures plummeting, both sides went to their respective touchlines, the Union players coming together in a tight huddle, Heiseler in the middle. She was off a minute later, replaced by Jenny Hipp.

Union threw everything at Jena in those last few minutes, with Bauereisen again going close, and Hipp wreaking havoc in the six-yard box as everyone came together, the ball ping-ponging around. Bauereisen, went down under Mühlemann’s tackle in the box; Steuerwald saw her header cleared off the line.

But just as they thought they had taken at least a point, the worst happened. Tysiak and Bösl found themselves caught, the ball between them and with Häring nipping at the defender’s back. It took just the slightest moment’s pause, a millisecond’s uncertainty for Häring to get in between them. All she had to do was roll the ball over the line.

As with Leverkusen here a fortnight ago they had their hearts ripped out at the last.

‘Right now, I'm just feeling pure disappointment and can't find the right words. We played well with the ball against Jena's deep block, but we couldn't score. We definitely need to digest and analyse this game,’

"We weren't consistent enough with the few chances we had and didn't win the game. The goal we conceded at the end and the result are obviously very bitter.‘

We knew it would be difficult to play against a deep block. Nevertheless, we found the spaces for the most part. Despite the chances we had, the game slipped away from us. I still don't have an explanation for what happened in the final minutes.