When Union Berlin’s stadium announcer read out Marie-Louise Eta’s name before kickoff, supporters answered with a twist on tradition. Instead of the customary “Fußballgott!” they roared “Fußballgöttin!” — Football Goddess.

One word changed. One door kicked open. On Saturday, Eta became the first woman to coach a match in any of Europe’s top five men’s leagues, taking charge of Union Berlin against Wolfsburg. The milestone was historic. The response was predictably grim.

Online, the misogynistic abuse came swiftly. Union’s social media team spent the day pushing back against it. DFB vice-president Celia Sasic called the comments “unacceptable,” telling t-online they weren’t aimed at one person but at “values that are central to our sport: respect, fairness, and equality.”

Eta declined to make herself the story. “Ultimately, it’s not about me,” she said post-match. “At the end of the day it’s about football, and that’s what I focused on.” Of the abuse, she added: “It says more about the people posting it online than about the people being talked about.”

The football was cruel. Union dominated — 26 shots to Wolfsburg’s five — but lost 2-1. Patrick Wimmer’s early strike and Dženan Pejčinović’s goal 29 seconds into the second half proved decisive. Eta called herself “disappointed” but “satisfied” with the performance.

Union president Dirk Zingler rejected the insinuation that her contracted move to coach Union’s women’s team next season would be a demotion. “If she’s really good, she’ll stay with the men, and if she’s not so good, she’ll go to the women — I can’t even have that discussion,” he said. “With this, we’re doing her and women’s football as a whole a disservice.”

Helen Nkwocha, who became the first woman to coach a men’s top-division European team in 2021, told Deutsche Welle the abuse was familiar. “As female coaches, especially if we are coaching at a competitive level, we experience that sort of thing a lot.”

The DFB has roughly 4,000 licensed female coaches. On Saturday, one of them stood on a Bundesliga touchline. Thousands of strangers tried to shout her off it. She’s still standing.

Sources