If this uproarious day at the Alte Försterei would end with drama, and three big points, it began with a choreo; the terraces transformed into a sea of red and white as an unknown goalkeeper, 20 feet high, sailed over their heads, along the Gegengerade and around the curve to the Waldseite. “Hold tight to your love” went the message, quoting the legendary anarchist rocker, Rio Reiser. 

The streamers and glittering snowstorm of paper that followed held up kick off, leaving piles in the Union box, sharply exited by Frederik Rönnow, as the leaf blowers came in to clear the multicoloured, shimmering debris. 

But though it seemed at times the choice of a keeper for the display was the right one – as Rönnow once again showed the qualities that have made him a three-time Unioner of the year, and award presented to him before kick off - it was a striker who stole the show. Ilyas Ansah scored two wonderful goals, but they were also the reward of a blossoming partnership with Andre Ilić . 

It took a while as the players tried to keep themselves warm and focussed, though as soon as play finally restarted Union were on the front foot, winning a corner on the right, whipped in by Christopher Trimmel. Under pressure, Ilić couldn’t get his header on target. Union were pushing high, with Danilho Doekhi crossing the halfway line to find Khedira, but newcomer, Ansah, showed his patience on the ball too, taking one down and laying it off, his back to goal. He'd do that all day.

But before five minutes were up Rönnow made his first fine, flying stop, palming Julian Chabot’s header over the bar, making a case early for his fourth player of the year title already. Chabot was in the thick of things and got across in the nick of time with 14 minutes on the clock, to slide in at the feet of Schäfer, played in by Ansah. 

As ever, the stadium was boiling when Doekhi was penalised for a foul on Nick Woltemade, then when Josha Vagnoman caught Robert Skov, but that was nothing as to when Ansah caught the ball just below waist height from the edge of the box after 18 minutes, hitting a searing volley past the helpless Alexander Nübel. The ball crashed off the inside of the left-hand upright and flew into the net. It was a wonderful, brutal, brilliant finish, and the perfect way to start his Union, and Bundesliga career.

As the wind buffeted the players and the skies opened again following a series of early downpours, Stuttgart looked to wrestle their way back into the game; few would count on that being that – 13 goals had been scored in the two league encounters between the sides last season. Deniz Undav was pulled back for handball as he tried to bring the ball down on the edge of the Union box; Rani Khedira and Schäfer combined to stop Woltemade; Rothe headed away Maxi Mittelstadt’s deep cross from the left. Vagnoman couldn’t quite get to a swinging ball towards the back post in time to turn it goalwards. 

Rönnow made another superb stop, this time from the former Unioner, Jamie Leweling, diving to his right, punching the ball away before, at the other end, Ansah shouldered Chabot off  the ball on a dangerous looking charge forwards. The away side were getting tetchy. Demirovic and Undav both saw yellow before the half was up, as did Trimmel. 

But Union were also attacking with no little verve, and absolutely no fear. Ansah and Ilić combined again, their nascent partnership flourishing early, the former flicking on for the latter whose chipped cross was cleared just before it dropped to Schäfer. Atakan Karazor seemed to clearly push Leopold Querfeld following another Trimmel corner. The referee, Robert Hartmann, however, waved it away and the video assistant chalked it off as well.

With 43minutes played Rönnow was again there to rescue his side, sticking out a leg as Demirovic shot from ten yards, just getting enough on the ball to see it flick up onto the bar and away again.

But Union’s front pair weren’t done yet. Ansah flicked the ball out right for Ilić as they barrelled forwards, like two bulls on the charge. Ilić looked up, hit a cross hard and square at knee height, where Ansah, positioned perfectly, his head up, shoulders back, caught it on the volley. Again, Nübel had no chance. 

Union went into the break two goals up, flying. 

Though neither coach made any changes at the break, it was the guests who started the second half strongest, Karazor flicking a header up over Rönnow’s outstretched arm, but onto the bar. If that had been flicked with a certain looping elegance, Mittelstadt hit the absolute leather off his drive a moment later from a full 30 yards, one that almost toppled Union’s keeper backwards as he got his fists to the shot, seeing the ball fly up and away at lightning pace. 

Then as Vagnoman and Undav argued with Hartmann at the latter’s yellow card, Schäfer, illuminated now by glorious sunshine, gestured to the crowd, balling his fists, roaring with them. Rönnow, imperious in his box, rose toweringly to clutch one high ball, then slid at the feet of Demirovic to win the next. Karazor placed his next header just wide of the back post before Doekhi tackled Leweling artfully, his timing immaculate. He did the same on Demirovic with an hour played, though this time on the stride. 

With Stuttgart now seeing the majority of the ball, if still largely held at bay by Union’s excellent back three, Baumgart's first changes came on 66 minutes, as Alex Král and the newcomer, Derrick Köhn, replaced Skov and Haberer; keen to make an impression, Köhn got a neat touch in on the left, leading to Král winning a corner almost immediately. 

Ansah was then replaced by Oliver Burke, the striker hearing his name cheered to the rafters as he limped off, still wincing from a challenge from Leweling. But it was Rönnow again who made the next big impact, saving substitute Chris Führrich’s deflected shot from distance.

The febrile atmosphere reached boiling pint as Ilić was booked for hitting the ball away, then as Leweling dragged back Král, almost taking the shirt off his back. The whistles from the terraces were deafening with every bit of Stuttgart possession.

Undaunted, however, Tomas got one back on the stroke of 85 minutes with a clever, acrobatic flick of his heel, sending the ball  past an unsighted Rönnow, and in off the back post. Stuttgart tried to pile on the pressure, and with seven minutes added on, they roused themselves once more, Lazar Jovanovic putting his header wide. But by now the game was going in fits and starts, Undav’s needless foul on Burke for a push from behind being a case in point.

Josip Juranović, on for Trimmel, lobbed one free kick into the box, then found Querfeld from a corner, but the defender’s header, though hit with power - his connection was as clean as a whistle - flew wide. 

The drama was far from over, however. With the final minutes ticking by Woltemade was certain he’d scored having found an inch inside the packed Union box and the ball at his feet. Indeed the travelling fans behind that goal were celebrating already, but the linesman’s flag had gone immediately up for an offside, and they were to be disappointed. When their next effort came into the box Rönnow threw himself on the deflected loose ball like a cartoon hero onto a hand grenade 

As  the players took their lap of honour the corwd chanted “Rönnow, Rönnow, Rönnow,” and Trimmel tried to push the humble Ansah to the fore. Both players smiled. But then so did all the other Unioner. It had been a fantastic start to the season. 

"We were under a bit of pressure at the start, but then Ily scored a great goal. After that, and overall, the game went pretty much as expected. We knew that Stuttgart are a top team and would play a lot with the ball. But we showed Union football, fought hard and worked hard." 

‘I'll always look back on today with fond memories. But we're still at the beginning of the season and we all need to stay focused and calm. We'll get there, though, and then go into next week's game with a lot of humility and energy." 

"The way the lads worked against VfB today and how they played our game was good. Whether in attack or defence, there was always someone there. Of course, we also had a bit of luck on our side today, as the woodwork came to our rescue on one or two occasions. Nevertheless, we put a lot into it and rewarded ourselves with this victory."