The Alte Försterei was still at kick off, just as The Millerntor was last week, as the Union and Heidenheim fans protested the much discussed, draconian security measures proposed across German football. If it wasn’t as quiet after the final whistle came, it was at least a little cowed.

Union hadn’t beaten Heidenheim in the league for over ten years, and following a dramatic two-goal come back after regular time had been played, they still hadn’t. The players didn’t linger at the end. They were too stunned by the knock-out blows to cap a fight they were certain they’d won.

But at kick off the optimism of the last weeks held, as did the Unioner’s tongues; as Wooyeong Jeong somehow won his first header against the imposing Julian Niehues in the centre-circle; as Heidenheim keeper, Diant Ramaj, played a risky pass across his goal to Benedikt Gimber. Even as Derrick Köhn beat Mamon Bush in a straight sprint to a clever Heidenheim switched pass out right.

The guests would have the first effort on goal - and their last for a long time - as Mathias Honsak saw his shot clip the top of the bar, but even as the wait for Frederik Rönnow’s goal kick dragged on and on, as a possible infringement was checked, the protest held.

Union’s first chance came immediately afterwards, as Oliver Burke found Köhn, who flew into a waist-high volley with his right boot swinging like an axe, but he couldn’t quite keep it down.

Christopher Trimmel made a vital touch on the stroke of 15 minutes, when he nudged the ball away from Marvin Pieringer, leaving a ploughed-up stretch of turf in his wake, but chances were few and far between at this point. Ilyas Ansah then won a corner, aiming for the near post from the tightest of angles, but the resulting set-piece was hoicked away, only to leave the sight of Niklas Dorsch and Niehues lying on the pitch, having clashed heads in their desperation to clear the danger.

The injury to Niehues looked bad, and he remained down for some time, face down, two physios squatting, attending to him. Fortunately, he was able to leave the pitch under his own strength and reappeared soon enough.

The pitch - played on by two professional teams, remember – was cutting up badly, and the ball bobbled up and over Niehues’ boot when he tried to make a routine contact out on the right, almost allowing Diogo Leite to slip Burke through on goal as Ramaj was caught off-guard, not expecting the sudden attack; before the half was up Pieringer would fall when trying to change  direction, the ground slipping under his boot like a trapdoor had opened underneath him.

Union upped their pressure, and Köhn tried his luck from 25 yards, seeing the ball fly off Busch’s s back and out for the next corner. As the half crept along, there were few opportunities at either end, the two sides mirroring each other tactically, and cancelling each other out on the pitch. but Burke won Union’s next corner when he tried to get around the outside of Patrick Mainka, and Leite’s firm, downward header bounced just past the left-hand upright.

Kemlein then forced a fine stop from Ramaj when Burke played him in, turning his back to goal as he picked up the ball. It was a sign that things were about to turn their way, and within a minute, the scorer of last week’s goal against St. Pauli, Rani Khedira, would do it again - from a  similar position and just one minute earlier - driving the ball through the crowd in the box after Ansah had knocked Trimmel’s cross down, rifling it past a helpless Ramaj.

Khedira was right in the thick of things straight away in midfield as the second half started, picking Gimber’s pocket, before being dragged unceremoniously to the floor as he burst into the space ahead of him. Union had started with renewed impetus, attacking the Waldseite, and Ramaj would do well to hold a towering Kemlein cross/ shot, as well as somehow controlling a risky back pass from Gimber when under pressure from Burke.

Khedira and Jeong almost carved out the next opening on 54 minutes, when they played the ball between themselves; the South-Korean sent away by the vice-captain’s neat through-ball. But Khedira was back in his own box immediately afterwards, diving in at the feet of Pieringer, timing his tackle precisely, flicking the ball away with his toe.

This was the cue for Frank Schmidt, the eternal Heidenheim boss, to make three changes  - two of whom being Jan Schöppner and Stefan Schimmer, of whom much more later - before Baumgart did the same five minutes later, bringing Andrej Ilić on for Burke. But it was the Heidenheim sub, Stefan Schimmer, who would have the first sight of goal, when he drove wide with just over an hour now gone.

Danilho Doekhi, still un-subbed in over 5,000 minutes of league play, tested Ramaj next up with a ball into the channel towards Ansah, the keeper having to be certain he would make it as he charged out towards the edge of his box. Schimmer then saw yellow for his foul on Köhn as the Union full-back put the ball impishly through his legs.

Then, danger; Kemlein however did superbly to make up ground on Adam Kölle as Heidenheim broke, before twice in succession making the decisive clearance in the box, the latter leading to a break that saw Khedira fire his shot into the first man standing in his way. When he couldn’t flick Jeong’s short pass the way of Ansah, finding his marker instead at full stretch, he cursed and swung his arms. He has developed into the midfielder many have seen in him since his days as an Union youngster, an ever-present alongside Khedira now in Baumgart’s midfield. If not all his passes landed today, his tackle and sharp forwards pass to Ilić with 15 minutes to play summed up his game so well.

Though he still hadn’t had to make a save, Rönnow was as calm as ever, particularly when having to claim Jan Schöppner’s looping header while Schimmer tussled with him to reach thee skied ball. The pair of them were making a nuisance of themselves, ominously.

Baumgart made three further changes with ten minutes left, taking off Trimmel and Kemlein, for Janik Haberer and Andras Schäfer.

The guests gave all they could to get back into the game, but Rönnow was still untested as Doekhi used all his strength to shepherd the ball out of play with Schimmer all over him. Ilić, meanwhile, was doing all the hard work, acting as the pressure valve, holding the ball up as diligently as ever, and as he played in Rothe the Gegengerade were certain he scored, but the ball had merely hit the side netting.

But for all their effort, Heidenheim finally scored in the final breaths of normal time through Schimmer. It was a hammer blow – if not as late as Bayern’s equaliser here a fortnight ago, but just as hurtful - and even Baumgart’s head dropped a little as the guests celebrated by the corner flag in front of their fans.

But surely, they would still come away with a point. Surely...

Then, with 95 minutes played, the world fell in on itself for the Union fans. Diogo Leite threw himself at the ball to try and prevent a corner, but he couldn’t keep it in play.  The clock was ticking as Arijon Ibrahimovic took it, and Schöppner nipped in to score the winner.

They couldn’t believe it, and the away end erupted in unbridled joy, met by the stunned Union fans’ efforts to rouse their heroes for one final push. But that was it, the whistle blew before play could even restart.

The players slumped to the floor; Heidenheim again. They’d been mugged at the last.

There was still something to be taken from the disappointment. "Experiences like this are part and parcel of football and we will learn from them," said Baumgart after the final whistle, as he retrains his focus onto Wednesday evening and Bayern in the Cup

"We didn't score the second easy goal, even though there were plenty of opportunities to do so. On top of that, we didn't defend consistently for the full 90 minutes, but only for 89. That's why the result is so damn frustrating." 

"These kinds of games happen, that's football, and we've experienced it often enough on our side. We actually had a lot under control, but then we conceded two goals in the final stages. It wasn't just bad luck, it was our own fault. But now we have to quickly put that behind us and focus on the upcoming games."

"When you look at the course of the game, it's always possible that you'll concede the 1-1. The 1-2 already leaves us feeling a bit empty, but we have to deal with that now. In the second half, we could certainly have played out one or two attacks better, but overall I can't blame my team. Experiences like this are part and parcel of football and we will learn from them."