On a bitterly cold night - with black ice littering the path through the forest and the six-and-a-half thousand Unioner’s breath freezing as soon as it dared to be expelled through pursed lips and clenched jaws - this was always going to be a test. Union were on the toughest run in years, having lost four on the bounce, while HSV had won only once all season. The two promoted sides have big designs and great ambitions, but the Bundesliga was proving a tough nut to crack.

Still, the hosts couldn’t believe they didn’t come away with the points; they had played so well, and only the superb keeper, Larissa Haidner, had kept them at bay, time and again. At the final whistle Antonia Halverkamps, Samantha Steuerwald and Judith Steinert fell onto their backs. It felt like the cruellest of blows, worse than when Nürnberg equalised with almost the last kick of the first game of the season. Almost harder than Jena last weekend.

Before kick off, the music stopped, unexpectedly, as if the cold had got to Nina Hagen as well, but the fans took over, bellowing the name of their beloved stadium as the players took their final huddle. They were just warming up.

The seeds were set for an attritional battle early on too, as Svea Stoldt and Lotta Wrede jostled and bustled with Jenny Hipp and Antonia Halverkamps in the middle, fighting to gain control of a ball that bobbled reluctantly on a pitch whose pockmarks resembled the leopard spots on Julian Ryerson’s new barnet.

Union were the first to have ball in the net, when Dina Orschmann brought down a long ball out, her back to goal, turning and slipping it into the path of Sophie Weidauer. Though the striker beat Haidner, the keeper’s touch slowing it down to a crawl as it creeped over the line, the flag was already up for offside. It had been a close-run thing.

At the other end, Nadine Böhi, celebrating her 22nd birthday – and third start - held Mia Büchele’s free kick easily above her head. Steinert beat Sophie Hildebrandt in a foot race race as they chased up Union’s left-hand side, but they went so shoulder to shoulder, summing up the play so far.

There wasn’t much between them at that point.

With 15 minutes gone, Victoria Schulz and Halverkamps hit the HSV byline together, the latter coming off worst, left in a heap and tended to as play went on without her. She returned a few minutes later, with neither side still having managed to break through; Halverkamps had run as far and battled as hard as anyone over the last difficult weeks. She wouldn’t go that easily into the night.

Orschmann summed up the battle, too, sliding five yards to keep the ball in play ahead of Wucher. If she had no-one to give it to, that mattered little. She crashed into the advertising hoardings with a thump and got up again. 

Halverkamps’ deliveries were looking ever more important. After Stoldt brought down a charging Steinert, 30 yards out, to the left, she hit the resulting free kick towards Hipp in the box; two minutes later, from almost the same position she caught a looping shot that an uncertain Haidner had to punch clear.

But as the half wore on, Union were growing into the ascendancy. Campbell cut on to her left after Halverkamps had found her drifting into space on the outside, but she couldn’t quite wrap her foot around the shot enough to bend it into the top corner.  Heiseler hit a fantastic shot towards the top corner, only stopped by a flying stop by Haidner, tipping it out to her left.

Orschmann then found Campbell who had to double back on herself instead of rounding the increasingly demanded Haidner, the ball falling ultimately to Weidauer who drew another fine stop from the keeper. And when HSV broke through Melanie Brunnthaler, the impressive starting debutant, Marina Georgieva and her partner at the back, Samatha Steuerwald quickly outmuscled her.

When Nina Räcke brought down Heiseler, Steinert turned to her team-mates to tell them to keep the pressure up. They did so, and again Haidner flung herself to her left to stop Campbell’s top corner-bound free kick. With the half almost up, and Hamburg now hanging on for dear life, Orschmann tried to side-foot a shot inside the back post but couldn’t connect. Then Heiseler was clattered by Räcke in the box, but the referee, Davina Lutz, waved play on, despite the captain’s agony and the crowd’s increasing opprobrium.

Before the second half kicked off the HSV players came together, just as they had before the first, but the Union players were already in position, ready, looking as calm as you like. But again it was their keeper, Haidner, who had to make the first stop; again superb, as Weidauer arrowed one towards  the top corner of the near post.

Georgieva was looking ever more at home at the back, cajoling her new team-mates as HSV organised from a throw-in, then beating Wrede all ends up, timing her slide to perfection.

And quite how Haidner managed to save from Weidauer again, seven minutes into the second half, is anyone’s guess, pouncing to her right this time when the Union striker seemed certain to finish having been played in by Campbell’s lightest of through balls.

HSV came closer still soon after, but only through a slice of great fortune - they still hadn’t had a shot on target. Maia Mikolajova’s harmless shot took a huge deflection off Melanie Brunnthaler, leaving Böhi wrongfooted, and the ball drifting agonisingly just past her left-hand upright.

Union were determined not to let themselves get caught like they had against Jena, and after Hipp brought down Pauline Machtens in a dangerous position, Orschmann was there to tell the midfielder to watch herself, to stay awake, to not let this one slip through their fingers. As the opposition set themselves for the free kick she turned to her nearest teammates, repeating the message. Little did they know.

But Union’s pressure was certain to tell soon enough, and after an hour Campbell broke free, inside right. Though again the excellent Haidner parried her drive, this time there was nothing she could do as Weidauer ran in to gobble up the rebound. Taking no chances, she finished low and hard in the middle of the now empty goal.

Union would continue to push up, with Weidauer, the weight lifted off her shoulders, looking increasingly dangerous on the edge of the box. When they had the ball at the back, Steuerwald, Böhi and Halverkamps played it about in intricate little triangles, never risking anything, just keeping it moving, as if to keep it warm.

There was a worry to come, as Orschmann and Brunnthaler crashed together, trying to get on the end of Halverkamps’ next corner. Both players were down for an age, and both ultimately came off, the Union player replaced by Ida Heikkinen.

Union carried on, and Haidner made her next save from Campbell, this time as she tried to complete a staggered run into the box, but seeing it again tipped out for a corner. She then put just wide after jinking her way past Egger.

But with 83 minutes gone, HSV took a quick short corner Wrede. Racing out, Campbell put her hands up as the HSV player shot – instinctively, protecting her face - and Lutz wasted no time in pointing straight to the spot. Hillebrand took forever to take the penalty, with Böhi dancing on her line, and the well-filled away end bouncing behind her. Hillebrand was nerveless, however. Böhi never stood a chance.

As the guests celebrated, Poese made her next change immediately, bringing on Alma Aargaard for Giorgieva. With five minutes added on they had to settle themselves again, to put the equaliser out of their minds. Again, Campbell was put through by Weidauer, winning another corner, but Heikkinen’s header flew wide.

Böhi picked up a loose ball, and raced to the edge of her box, hitting it long as soon as she could; there was no time to waste.

But soon enough it ran out on them. Shattered, the players ultimately came together a final time before heading to the thousands of fans, remaining, steadfast, on the Gegengerade. Some held each other, others saluted and clapped.

They all held their fists aloft for the final round of “Eisern! Union!” before drifting away to try and remind themselves of how good they’d really been.

‘We definitely set ourselves higher goals today, which I think was evident in our performance. We were clearly the dominant team, but we didn't take our chances and ended up conceding a penalty. So, of course, the result is extremely bitter for us.'

 ‘Of course, there's a lot of disappointment right now given how the game went. But basically, we can actually be pretty satisfied with our performance. Now we need to stay focused and keep our heads up so that we can come back strong after the international break.’  

"We simply had to score our goals today. There were numerous opportunities during the game, although we must also praise the HSV goalkeeper for everything she did today. Nevertheless, we were simply too careless in front of goal in some situations. Of course, it's also bitter that we conceded a penalty at the end. However, the big problem today was our conversion rate."