Sabrina Wittmann celebrates at the last minute on her debut as head coach of FC Ingolstadt. FC Ingolstadt and SV Waldhof Mannheim drew on matchday 36 of the 3rd league.
At first everything looked like an unspectacular debut for Sabrina Wittman, the new coach of FC Ingolstadt, the first woman to become head coach in German men’s professional football. Until the very last minute: Wittmann clenched both fists on the sidelines and shouted cries of relief when Sebastian Grönning scored the long-awaited equalizer with a lucky punch. Wittmann can look forward to a hard-fought and somewhat lucky draw against Waldhof Mannheim (1:1).
Wittmann debut successful: “I feel totally comfortable”
“All in all, we can definitely be happy with the point and that we were able to take something with us,” said the 32-year-old in an exclusive interview with Blickpunkt Sport after the final whistle: “I feel totally in the environment I’m in right now probably.”
The Schanzer found their way into the game better, had a lot of possession, but had few spectacular moments and chances were almost completely absent – on both sides. Over time, the Waldhof took control through intense duels. Despite several Waldhof chances, the half-time break was scoreless.
Red card for Karbstein
The first goal came in the 47th minute of the game. Kennedy Okpala found a gap and was able to run towards the Ingolstadt goal alone. In a one-on-one with FCI keeper Marius Funk, Okpala remained ice-cold and pushed the ball in with his right. Ingolstadt did not initially respond to the opening goal. The game was bubbling along until Mannheim’s Malte Karbstein received a red card (75th minute of the game). Before that, he pulled the sprinting Julian Kügel by the jersey – the referee Lars Erbst saw an emergency brake in the action.
Happy ending for Ingolstadt
Salvation for the Schanzer was still a long time coming – even though they were now playing in the majority. Only in stoppage time, towards the bitter end, did Ingolstadt’s luck lie. The ball landed directly at Grönning (90th + 5) in front of the goal, the deflected low shot landed in the net, on the field and next to it in relief.
Sabrina Wittmann celebrated the hard-fought draw in her first game. A happy ending for the new head coach. “As if in a trance, it was an incredibly beautiful moment,” said Wittmann about the redeeming goal.
The Ingolstadt-based company made Wittmann interim boss after separating from Michael Köllner. No woman has ever worked higher in German men’s professional football than in the third division. The club management did not rule out working with Wittmann beyond the summer.
Video: Blickpunkt Sport exclusive interview with Sabrina Wittmann
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Source: Blickpunkt Sport May 5, 2024 – 9:45 p.m