The contrast couldn’t have been more striking. The new Union kit was launched in the morning with shots of legendary striker Daniel Teixeira juggling the ball under azure blue  skies on the golden Copacabana sand, while his successors’ studs sunk into the sodden turf of the Werner Seelenbinder Sportplatz, the home of BSC Süd 05. The rain fell heavily in the grey air, the trees on the hill rising up behind the uncovered away section growing a darker green by the minute.

But still the atmosphere was high. This was a day to celebrate, the return to football for Union’s men’s team. New players, new plans, new hopes. The slow beginning of a new season dawned in the mizzle.

And it was the youth who looked to take advantage of the mood, especially Elias Ali, who lifted the ball over one BSC defender with his first touch and burst into the box with his second. He was seen five minutes later needing two men to stop his charge as he jinked his way forward.

Tom Rothe, no ageing war horse, himself, had to puff out his cheeks as he chased Cenar back into his own half after a loose ball forwards, but made up for it with a lovely drop of the shoulder, sending his marker away into the mist.

The battle between the pair made for fine entertainment, and the first real shot on goal came when Can Cinar got the jump on Rothe down Union’s left, before hitting his shot too close to Rönnow to trouble Union’s keeper. Oluwaseun Ogbemudia, up for a set-piece, made abetter go of his effort at the other end, drawing a diving stop from Tornike Zarkua in the 05 goal.  

With the wind in his sails, it was Ali who gave Union the lead with his first ever first-team goal for the club, hitting the ball hard and low on the half-volley, through the crowd. The smile on his face broadened out for a moment. It was a sight to make you forget the weather.

And having scored with practically the last kick of last season, Andrej Ilić was soon to join in the fun when he made it 2-0 before quarter of an hour was up, rifling home from near the penalty spot. He would make it three when running onto Ali’s fine through ball, rounding Zarkua and slotting home with ease.

Union were as dominant as could be expected against a sixth division side who gave everything, and were far from humiliated, and Ali was irrepressible, seeing Zarkua make another fine save from his effort, bending towards the top corner. Rönnow had to do just as much, however, after 22 minutes when Pedro Alves let fly from 25 yards, catching his shot perfectly with swerve and dip. Skarke was a whisker away from adding a fourth, while falling to his side, seeing the ball clatter off the inside of the left-hand post, and squirming across goal and away.

Though keenly competitive, it was worth remembering that this was also just a tester, and Alves looked genuinely worried when he caught Khedira with a crack to the ankle at a 50-50 ball, staying by him until he was up on his feet again, even if he rose unsteadily, like he was setting foot on land for the first time after a year at sea.

Patrick Richter, the 05 midfielder, then had his own moment in the sun, hitting his shot first time into the top corner after 30 minutes, giving Rönnow no chance as it roared into the top corner. He rolled away, both arms out, applause washing over him. 8 then came close as he found the ball at his feet with only Rönnow to beat, but Union’s stopper wouldn’t go to ground and ultimately left nothing left of his goal to be shot at.

Ali wasn’t the only one to bag a goal on his debut, and with the rain now pouring down again, Andrik Markgraf opened his own account for Union, when he slotted through Zarkua’s legs from the left.

The keeper was having a bad day, and he slipped as Ilic got his third, the torrential rain allowing the ball to slide through his grip at the near post, twisting his ankle as he went. His replacement, Kilian Boys, was greeted only by the sight of the weather getting worse, and a rampant Ilic bearing down on him having strolled through the 05 defences to make it 6-1 at the break.

Baumgart swapped his whole team out at the break, as did his opposite number, and it was Lucas Tousart who made Boys make his first stop as Union looked to show no let up in their pressure. Diogo Leite headed Josip Juranović’s corner over the bar with seven minutes played, before almost stabbing the next over the line only a couple of minutes later. Boys, this time, did well, diving to his right to hinder the Portuguese’s effort.

Juranović’s next corner came from the left. He hit it at head height, curling in towards goal, with Boys caught in no-man’s-land, where Marin Ljubičić flicked it with the outside of his heel over the line for 7-1. Ljubičić put his next chance wide when played in by Tousart over the top, trying to place the ball with his left on the run.

The game was long since over in terms of a spectacle, but still the almost 3,000 fans remained, packed in tight huddles like penguins in red and white along the touchline and behind the goals, huddling for warmth, umbrellas providing scant respite from the onslaught from above.

As they delighted in the performance of the next youngster, Duje Sliskovic, agitating in central midfield, finding Paul Jaeckel with the easiest of passes before demanding it back. Then there were the goals. Tousart made it eight with 20 minutes played of the second half, flicking the ball on when jostling for space before Livan Burcu made it nine, finding himself alone in the box and sweeping home, calmness personified.

Only a sharp intervention stopped Ljubičić from adding another; Ansah flicked a stooping header just wide of the back post; Joel Fels was inches away from putting into his own goal when he had more time than he reckoned with to clear.

As the final whistle blew and the stadium announcer once again implored the fans not to enter the pitch – which they didn’t – the players did  the rounds, signing autographs, taking selfies. It was a fine end to the perfect start.

And if you closed your eyes, and ignored the soaking clothes sticking to your skin, you could almost feel the sand under your feet.

"In the first game, it’s not about goals, but about preparing for the season. Fitness and conditioning also play a role now. Still, it’s nice to score, and I hope to get more playing time with Oliver. However, the first 45 minutes together were already good," said Andrej Ilić after the final whistle. 

David Preu added: “It was the first game under not exactly easy conditions. Still, we can take away quite a bit from it, especially in our offensive play. I also think that we created some goals very well.” 

“I believe it was a good game, both halves were okay. Overall, we were very committed and had good actions, and it's normal that not everything works out. So overall it was a reasonable performance, especially considering the first week,” summarized head coach Steffen Baumgart after the Friendly.