The sun shone on Sunday afternoon over the Wolfsburg Stadion, and though the several hundred travelling Union fans were in the shade of the low roof above them, they beamed in the knowledge that the season’s first goal had been achieved, even before kick off. Even before this wildest of games, a 3-3 draw littered with goals both good and disastrous, a superb away performance that needed all of the Union players’ courage and skill that had seen them 3-1 up with 12 minutes to play of normal time.

Ailien Poese’s first words in the press conference afterwards were that it was ‘a crazy game’. And how. But though the point was a joy, better was that with Bremen’s win over Essen at lunchtime, Union were guaranteed of their place in the Bundesliga next season.

It had been superb achievement, and coming in off the back of their best performance of the season last Monday, in the 4-1 win over Bremen, they came into this full of confidence. Not least because that other 4-1, in November, when they lost at home to Wolfsburg, the perennial champions and cup winners and the likely Champions league semi-finalists, never really summed up a game they led at the break in and fought throughout.

They would need that fight here today, too. Though the excitement was to come later, much later. It started out with the hosts on the front foot. Nadine Böhi, the penalty-saving hero of last week, sprung out to hold Judit Pujols’ cross from the left just after Samantha Steuerwald got a foot in just as Anny Kerim-Lindland tried to get herself into a position to shoot, just inside the box.

But the guests were quick to get their heads up when in possession, and both Eileen Campbell and Anna Weiß hit dangerous, long, early balls up for Hannah Eurlings and Sophie Weidauer, respectively. One up the inside left, the other the inside right. They certainly weren’t lacking in confidence.

But the game couldn’t really get going in the first 20 minutes on the heavy pitch, still scarred from Wednesday’s Champions League game against Olympique Lyonnes here. It was littered with fouls. And when Janou levels caught Weiß after 20 minutes, the Union full-back’s cry could be heard from the stands. Lisa Heiseler almost created the first opening for either side from the resulting free kick, clipping it into the six-yard box for Campbell, making a clever run, when all seemed to be waiting for it to be hit deeper. Campbell flicked the ball on with her head, but it was quickly cleared by Maria Joelle Wedermeyer.

Campbell was close to getting on the end of the next ball into the box, this time from Eurlings, who had sprinted up the right wing, dancing onto Judith Steinert’s pass up the line.

Böhi made her first save on 28 minutes when, having somewhat undercooked her ball out, finding Ella Peddemors instead, she backpedalled quickly enough to touch the looping shot just wide. Janina Minge then had a sighter, but her effort hit only her teammate Svenja Huth, loitering by the penalty spot.

With half an hour played out, and Wolfsburg starting to carve out a little superiority on the pitch, Union were resolute at the back, the example being set by their centre-backs. Steuerwald stood firm when Cora Zicai looked to take her on, Tysiak did just the same in the face of the dangerous Pujols. Steuerwald did better yet, again as Zicai attacked her from the right, then as Thea Bjelde shot, blocking it as she turned her back, just to avoid all chances of it hitting her hand.

With only five minutes of the half remaining, Pawollek turned and played Campbell in, Stina Johannes just making it out in time as the ball fell between them. But it showed a certain uncertainty in the Wolfsburg ranks, and almost immediately afterwards, as they overcomplicated things trying to play out, Guro Bergsvand’s pass found only Weidauer.

Union’s striker, taking the sudden gift without a second thought, found Eurlings darting into the box, who stroked it first time past Johannes to give Union the lead.

But it wouldn’t last. Suddenly the game had exploded out of the mire, as Wolfsburg drew level only two minutes later. Minge took the ball on the turn, on the edge of the box, hitting an unstoppable volley into the top right corner. Böhi had no chance.

The second half started at a far faster pace than the first, with Pawollek turning past two on the halfway line, Eurlings cursing as her short pass was intercepted by Bjelde, then as Kamber did brilliantly to get in ahead of Zicai as she saw a gap open up in front of her down the right.

Peddemors got the first shot off, but, hitting it from 25 yards, she never got a good contact having opened her body up, and the ball rolled scruffily wide of Böhi’s right-hand upright. Heiseler would follow it up soon enough, played in by Campbell, but from a tight angle, she put her shot too close to Johannes to cause the keeper too much trouble. The captain shot over with the hour almost up, a chance created by Weidauer’s dogged tackling of Huth, sticking a leg out when the ball seemed long gone.

It was Heiseler’s last touch, as she was replaced by Nele Bauereisen almost immediately afterwards, taking a position higher up the field. And the substitute was the first one to react as Union took the lead in impossible, absurd fashion. Wolfsburg were stroking the ball about at the back, seemingly untroubled, when Camilla Küver looked to pass back to Johannes.

But something went wrong, either in the roll of the ball or the intended direction or in the communication – or maybe all three - because suddenly Johannes was out of position, the backpass heading over the line. Bauereisen, the closest to the scene reared away, her finger in the air, a smile on her face a mile wide. They all count, after all.

Wolfsburg tried to shake it off, and Böhi got down to her right well from the substitute, Vivien Endemman’s low drive. Play stopped and started again, twice as Pawollek was felled in the centre-circle, then as Steinert went down, with Fatma Sakar already primed to come on, alongside Jenny Hipp, replacing Campbell. Having been monumental in their rise to the top flight from the Regionalliga, it was to be Sakar’s first ever top flight game at Union.

Bauereisen saw her strike blocked by Pujols before Union won three corners in a row. But few expected what was to come from the third.  Pawollek took it from the right, hitting it high, but dropping fast towards the near post. Hipp and Tysiak were both there in the crowd, but neither could get a touch. Neither needed to.

After Antonia Halverkamps had scored directly from one against Wolfsburg in the home game, now Pawollek had done it against them away. The Unioner went wild in the stands, this their joy only compounded when Minge hit her volley, seemingly goalwards, but somehow cleared off the line.

Their glee wouldn’t last, however, because Küver finished from the resulting corner. It was now 3-2 with just over five minutes remaining of normal time. This game was far from over.

Things would take a nasty turn though, as Bauereisen got in between two defenders, and was seemingly placed to beat Johannes to a lofted ball over the top when the keeper smashed into her. It was like Toni Schumacher on Patrick Batiston in 1982, and Johannes got an immediate red card, while Bauereisen lay on the floor, motionless for a time. It was a brutal challenge. Bauereisen could consider herself fortunate not to have been seriously hurt.

After treatment she was back up for the ten minutes added on, joined on the pitch by Dina Orschmann and Marina Georgieva, on for Weidauer. Böhi saved from Küver, but the hosts would draw level when Pujols snuck in at the back post to volley home, four minutes of injury time still to play. The Wolfsburg bench erupted, pouring onto the pitch like they’d won the league.

Before time was up, Endemann went down under Eurlings’ challenge, just outside the box, to the Belgian international’s obvious disgust. She got a yellow for her protestations, before Pujols bent the resulting free kick, just past the top left corner.

While the players, shattered, having given everything, came together a final time after the final whistle, Bauereisen was led off at the final whistle, still hurting. She re-emerged shortly afterwards while, largely unaware, the fans sung as loud as they had all season. And they had plenty to celebrate. Not only had they witnessed an astonishing game of football. Not only had they seen their side take a point off one of the league’s genuine heavyweights.

Possibly, even more importantly, they would be doing it here again next season.

“Our pressing worked very well today, which allowed us to force two goals. It was once again a very cohesive team performance, and I believe that you can also see from the outside that our processes are functioning better and better. That’s how we can continue after the break.”

'I have rarely experienced such a crazy game as today. We wanted to push from the beginning, which we managed to do. Of course, it's a bit annoying that we couldn't hold on to the lead in the end, but it is still a point earned against a Champions League team. The team sacrificed themselves today and I am very proud of this performance“.