A full moon hung over the Gegengerade as the Union players waited for kick off, the  roars of another big crowd shaking the still black sky above. They looked focussed, determined as they took a final huddle, the opposition waiting in place. They weren’t going to be rushed, neither here nor in the following 90 minutes. 

This was what they had waited for, after all. To play in the Bundesliga meant playing against its giants, and the first on the list – ahead of Bayern, who they face in Munich next week – were VfL Wolfsburg. But as such, this was also never going to be a must-win. This was a test of a side, crippled by injuries against two times Champions league winners. As such, Union were superb, brave; they refused to wilt.

And they caused a scare  for Wolfsburg, too. Maria-Joelle Wedermeyer was booked barely before a breath was taken, pulling back Dina Orschmann on the left. She’d been sick in the week; but she wouldn’t let that hold her back.

Wolfsburg, of course, took to the front foot after that, and Bösl punched out from Janina Minge’s looping header early on. Cora Zicai was looking for every pocket of space. But Union’s back five held firm, and with ten minutes on the clock they started to put their passes together. Katja found Dina Orschmann, who  laid it off for Judith Steinert, who was brought down by Svenja Huth immediately.

And when Zicai finally got in behind that dogged back line, running onto a ball over the top, she had no-one in support. Her harmless cross was held by Bösl, as the VfL striker held her arms out, wondering why she’d been left up there all alone.

Union countered carefully, through Eileen Campbell, holding the ball up to give time for Sophie Weidauer to break ranks out of midfield. Antonia Halverkamps hit a speculative cross from the right, that dropped just wide, though hindsight could say she was just getting her eye in. Campbell then tricked her way to the byline, and found Heiseler, in at the near post, who couldn’t get enough on the ball to turn it in.

Weidauer cracked a shot from 25 yards with almost 20 minutes played, Union were growing in confidence by the minute. She caught one, hip height, first time, soon after, but put it just too close to Stina Johannes. Dina Orschmann put one through the legs of  Wedemeyer, who just managed to knock it out for a corner.

The pressure was mounting from the courageous hosts. Heiseler followed that corner up, winning a second. Then the roof came off. Halverkamps hit it high, deep and swinging in from the right, leaving Johannes flat-footed, scrambling backwards, and all around her stunned. The ball dropped under the bar and in, kissing the back post on the way as it fell.

Predictably, Wolfsburg reacted as if stung. First Schneider blocked, then Steuerwald, before Bösl made a wonderful save, flinging herself at  Janine Minge’s header, somehow clawing it away off the line.

But that was an outlier. Union looked calm, composed, with Campbell a constant threat in the Wolfsburg half, agitating, upsetting with her presence alone. Wolfsburg would win two more corners before the break, but they couldn’t make anything of them. Union went into the break, more than deserving of their lead.

Ailien Poese made two changes at the break, taking off Steinert and Halverkamps, replacing them with Mariann Noack and Ida Heikkinen. But it was Schneider who almost ste the place alight, drawing a fine stop from Johannes almost right from the off, the flying keeper fingertipping it over the bar.

Then it was Bösl’s moment, racing out to stop Beerensteyn as she bore down on goal, and sliding in in at her feet.

Union were swinging though, first playing the ball coolly out from the back up the left, via Katja Orschman, Weiß and the excellent, selfless Weidauer. Then through Heiseler who slipped Dina Orschmann through into space, 25 yards out. She shot quickly, seeing Johannes advancing, but put it just too high.

But with their next attack, Wolfsburg would level the scores. Beerensteyn cracked a shot on goal that, again, Bösl somehow managed to tip onto the bar, but this time Lina Lattwein was there to follow up, volleying home past the now stricken keeper.

Bösl would make her next brave stop from Beerensteyn after an hour, but this time she stayed down, receiving treatment on the goal-line for what felt like an eternity. She struggled to her feet to the applause of the Gegengerade, ready to punch the ensuing corner away.

Wolfsburg were now seeing far more of the ball, and Katja Orschmann chased back quarter of the pitch t catch up with, and dispossess, Beerensteyn, but Heiseler gave their stellar guests pause for thought soon enough, bursting up the left and hitting a cross, hard, to where Johannes had to be strong to win ahead of Heikkinen. 

But as much as they gave, Union were left without an answer when Lattwein broke down the inside left with 20 minutes to play, and having been slotted through, and finding herself all alone, all the substitute, Alexandra Popp, had to do was turn the ball in over the line. It will be one of the easiest goals she’s scored in her long and glittering career.

The last thing Bösl would do was pick it out of her net, she was replaced by Melanie Wagner straight away, with Heiseler joining her on the bench, off for Alma Aagaard.

Union wouldn’t roll over, not even after the blow of the goal nor the stream of Wolfsburg attackers now coming their way.  Katja Orschmann tackled Popp; Noack strode out and passed to Schneider. And Wolfsburg’s third came only through a huge deflection, as Smilla Vallotto seemed to scuff her shot, but saw it flick past the despairing Wagner, and bobble inside the back post.

With just under 10 minutes to go, Weidauer was off for Celine Frank, and still they refused to bow down. Campbell fought for a header in the box from Katja Orschmann’s free kick; Dina Orschmann fought her way through the middle to try and get onto the end of Heikkinen’s clever pass; Frank almost had to barge the referee out of the way as strived to get across the middle of the pitch; Wagner saved superbly, down to her left.

Wolfsburg would get a fourth as Ella Peddemors hit a fine shot from outside the box, but by that point it was immaterial - if the scoreline now flattered the guests - and still Campbell tried get away, certain she had been fouled by Minge as she went towards the opposition box. 

The Union striker would fling herself at a bicycle kick in the box before the game was up, symbolising their performance. They hadn’t given up, not for a second. Though the result will sting, they'll take much from it. 

After all, this is where they want to be. 

"In the first half, we were very good in the game and were able to cause Wolfsburg significant problems. After the break, we lost a bit of our connection, but we stuck together as a team and fought back with a lot of effort. The clear final result does not reflect our dedication and fighting spirit in the end."

“I think we did pretty well today, compliments to the team. We were aware beforehand that Wolfsburg have a lot of individual quality and that we were the underdog today. However, we really did well, especially in the first half we were very compact. We will take this team spirit with us.” 

“We left our hearts on the pitch and fought until the end. Our goal was to put Wolfsburg in trouble, and we definitely succeeded in that. The fact that it didn't end up being worth any points is fine in that regard. Today was primarily about the way we embraced the game and how we presented ourselves as a team.”