1. FC Union Berlin lost 3-2 to VfB Stuttgart on a furious Friday evening, that saw the hosts come back after Danilho Doekhi and Robert Skov had put Union 2-0 up. Nick Woltemade scored two while Atakan Karazor scored the winner. . 

VfB Stuttgart: Nübel - Stergiou (46. Woltemade), Chase, Rouault (75.Chabot), Mittelstädt - Karazor, Stiller - Vagnoman, Millot (90.+1 Rieder), Führich (75. Hendriks) - Demirović  (90.+7 Keitel) 

1. FC Union Berlin: Rönnow – Skov (85. Trimmel), Doekhi, Querfeld (85. Ivan Prtajin), Leite, Rothe – Schäfer (84. Yorbe Vertessen), Khedira – Jeong (70. Seibatcheu), Skarke (65. Kemlein), Hollerbach 

The starting XI:

Bo Svensson made three changes to the side that started last weekend’s home loss to Bayer Leverkusen. If in that tie he had sprung a surprise by switching his entire front line, against Stuttgart they came elsewhere.

As always Frederik Rönnow was in goal behind a back three of the returning Diogo Leite, Leopold Querfeld, who had moved into the centre in the absence of Kevin Vogt, and Danilho Doekhi.

Andras Schäfer came in for Aljoscha Kemlein alongside Rani Khedira in the centre of midfield, with Tom Rothe stationed on the left while Robert Skov appeared on the right, in place of Christopher Trimmel.

Wooyeong Jeong and Benedict Hollerbach were up front behind the central Tim Skarke.

Attendance:  59.000 

Goals: 0-1 Doekhi (37.), 0-2 Skov (49.), 1-2 Woltemade (51.), 2-2 Woltemade (59.), 3-2 Karazor (69.) 

Union prove impenetrable, and take the lead through Doekhi

If one was to cast a look at the first half of this game, you’d never guess what would happen in the second. You’d never know that the astonishing defensive rigour that Union had shown would suddenly become undone in a wild second half. “We didn't defend cleanly and made too many mistakes overall,” said a visibly disappointed Rani Khedira after the final whistle. “…That's just the way it is,” he finished, but there were few words that could have summed this second half spectacle up.

Especially as things started so well for the guests. Union were excellent in the first half, at the back particularly, and it was Robert Skov, who had no time to feel his way into his new position, who set the defensive tone early on. He had to turn on the afterburners to make sure that Josha Vagnoman didn’t reach Maxi Mittelstädts longest of balls after only a couple of minutes.

Though this wasn’t a great surprise. Svensson has praised his fellow Dane’s flexibility plenty already, and it was looking like he’d have reason to do so again. Skov is the kind of player that every good side needs, taking the role that Michael Parensen once called his own: the jack of all trades. His corner shortly after was well struck, and was batted away only after Leopold Querfeld had flicked it goalbound.

He wasn’t alone. Danilho Doekhi did just as well, if over a far shorter distance, with seven minutes played to beat Chris Führich to the ball in a foot-race.

Union had played their way into the game on a cold night in Baden-Wurttemberg, with Schäfer and Khedira, superb and spiky in midfield. It was the former that supplied the ball for Tim Skarke to let off their first real effort on goal, a 25 yarder that went not far over the bar after 12 minutes. Skarke was making a good impression, too, and Stuttgart’s centre-half, Anthony Roualt, made a superb tackle on him five minutes later as he threatened to turn at pace.

Union showed flashes in those early exchanges, but as soon as the hosts had the ball they went back to the most solid of back lines, one that was, as seen from above, as straight as an architect’s ruler. As such, the host’s chances were few and far between, though their top-scorer, Emerdin Demirovic, clipped a shot over Rönnow’s bar halfway through the half, having tried to slip Union’s shackles. Enzo Millot found himself trying to bend an effort towards the top corner from 30 yards, but it rarely looked dangerous, more as if he’d had a go just to remind himself he was still there at all.

Union were so effective at the back, when Mittelstädt pushed Skov in the back after half an hour it looked to be a shove of frustration as much as anything else, and he would get the game’s first yellow card for a lunge on the Union right-back only five minutes later.

But if he had been frustrated at that, with 36 minutes he would be fuming. Union had taken the lead.

Schäfer wriggled into a bit of space, just inside the left hand side of the 18-yard-box, down by the byline. He jinked the ball onto his left, chipping it into the box where Doekhi rose to head it home. His connection was firm enough, and the ball looked like it was moving through glue towards Alexander Nübel in the Stuttgart goal, but he had got just enough on it to leave the keeper flailing, unable to prevent its path over the line, despite having got both hands to it and pushing it up off the bar.

Union were utterly assured by now, Skarke went close having charged in from the right, having beaten the Stuttgart offside trap, and they played out the remaining five minutes without erring. Their discipline was certain, their backline as tight as the wires on a snare drum. Nothing, it seemed, could go wrong.

Union double their lead, before Stuttgart roar back into the game

Union carried on from where they had left off in the second half, with Querfeld winning a header at the back, before Skov, Jeong and Schäfer combined to win a corner at the other end; a set-piece that would lead to their second goal.

Again, Yeong was involved, finding Skov who took a moment before delivering the perfect ball to a Khedira who had ghosted into the box, utterly alone. All Union’s captain for the day had to do was flick it past the flat-footed Nübel inside the back post. Later on he said, at least, he felt a contact, but the goal was given to the man who had hit it in the first place, Skov. Ultimately, who provided the decisive touch mattered little. Union were away.

But if the first half had been notable through it’s paucity of chances, suddenly the game exploded. Demirovic did superbly, holding the ball up, and laid it up for the substitute, Nick Woltemade, having only come on at the break. He took a touch and buried the ball into the roof of the net, giving Rönnow no chance.

It was 2-1 - game on - and as bangers crashed, and smoke billowed and rockets flew around the stadium, Querfeld clipped the bar with a header with barely ten minutes played of the half.

Stuttgart, buoyed by their goal, came back and Doekhi did superbly, managing to clear Führich’s headed cross, back across goal, before Hollerbach won a corner at the other end, having cut inside onto his left, his shot deflected over the bar.

Then, before you could pause for thought, Woltemade had made it 2-2, seizing Atakan Karazor’s flat ball up the middle and finishing cooly past Rönnow with the outside of his right foot, the ball nestling inside the back post. He’d scored two in midweek, now he’d bagged another brace in the space of just over ten minutes.

It was chaos out there now as both sides went toe-to-toe, and having seen his final chance fly wide of the far post, Svensson replaced Skarke with Aljoscha Kemlein with 25 minutes to play, looking to try and take back control of the midfield.

It was from the unlikeliest of places that Stuttgart’s comeback would be completed. Rönnow played the ball out to Schäfer from a goal kick, the Hungarian played it back. Rönnow seemed to have all the time in the world, but he somehow only gave the ball directly to the home captain, Karazor, who swooped on the chance with glee, rolling the ball home to make it 3-2.

Jordan Siebatcheu came immediately on for Yeong, and hit the bar with his first chance. He had reacted quickly, sending a shot goalwards after another Skov set-piece, but it took a huge touch off Roualt, looping over the keeper and somehow away.

Meanwhile, though, a cautious silence now engulfed the stadium, as both sets of fans stilled themselves, the powerful response to a fan in the away end needing emergency resuscitation. The difference couldn’t have been more striking to how the atmosphere had been just moments before; the silence was just as deafening as the rockets had been.

Accordingly, the game settled down slightly, at least, and the players must have been all too aware of what was going on. They tried to raise themselves again. Kemlein found Jordan with a fine ball that the striker brought down with his back to goal.

Svensson made his final three changes with just over five minutes to play. Schäfer, Querfeld and Skov coming off for Yorbe Vertessen, Josip Juranović and, making his first ever competitive appearance for the club, Ivan Prtajin.

Still the guests pushed on, but by now it was Stuttgart who were showing their defensive solidity, even as the assistant referee showed that there were seven minutes to be played after the final whistle. Doekhi launched one ball the way of Jordan, but had to cover as Stuttgart broke back immediately afterwards. He was then back in the opposition box a moment after that as Hollerbach whipped another ball into the box, cleared by Chase.

Doekhi would soon get a yellow card, too, one of a flurry doled out within seconds by referee Tobias Welz to Leite and Khedira and Vertessen, too, as he was, somewhat harshly, adjudged to have dived in the box. Svensson, himself, had already got one a minute earlier.

He was there again as a final ball was launched the same way, but by now it was all over.

After the final whistle Svensson said he was “annoyed that we lost,” before acknowledging the positives that had certainly been shown, including the two goals scored.  “We have to work on it,” he said. “To try to correct the mistakes and do better in the next few games.”