With over six hundred fans - including a handful of intrepid Unioner, some having even travelled from Berlin for the occasion - on Walsall’s Bescott stadium’s community stand under grey and blue skies, this felt a long way from the glamour of playing Real Madrid. But that’s what Union wanted, this was to be a challenge of a different kind, and as Naika Reissner brought down Villa’s new signing, Dutch international, Lynn Wilms, with a crunch after a minute, it was clear that this was a task to be taken seriously.

For Villa are a serious side and they showed it, they are dangerous on the break and hard in the press. Though maybe not as neat on the ball as Real, they looked for second balls with a rigour that Union had rarely encountered before; this was a struggle at times for the guests during the first half particularly, but they acquitted themselves well, with Nele Bauereisen dropping into midfield to help take the strain.

Cara Bösl was close to being caught out by Rachel Daly before Tomke Schneider cleared Kirsty Hanson’s flicked header off the line at the last. Daly was an inch away from Paula Tomas’ cross from the byline ten minutes in. Bösl then stopped Daly’s stabbed effort from close range.

But Union had pace in their ranks too, and they had a good chance after 15 minutes when Reissner flew into space, cutting inside, and set Dina Orschmann free, inside right. She paused, as if enjoying the fleeting moment, and chipped a ball towards the back post where Bauereisen and Heiseler were rising as high as they could to try and reach the cross.

Anna Weiß carved out their best chance yet when she beat Tomas on the right touchline, breezing around the Spanish international, before picking out Reissner arriving at the back post. Her header was well on target but saved by Sabrina D’Angelo in Villa’s goal.

Villa hit back, and Chasity Grant put her drive just past the back post. Salmon tried to pick out the top corner with a bending, lofted shot that dopped just too late to sneak in under the bar. But Union grew in confidence as the half wore on. Bauereisen drew a fine stop from D’Angelo at the near post, her header tipped, two-handed, over the bar.

As Union thought they had ridden the storm, however, Villa took the lead through Daley after 35 minutes, when neither Anna Aehling nor Bösl could clear when they suddenly found themselves under pressure inside their own box.

Undaunted, Hipp saw her drive stopped, but again Villa broke at pace, the chance this time snuffed out by a sprawling Bösl at the last. 

Poese made no changes at the break, her players looking to seize the momentum from the off, with Schneider increasingly looking to push up the left-hand side. But the game stopped and started; first Weiß went down after a collision, then Orschmann.

If she had looked to add a certain verve to Union’s attack, Schneider did well in her more traditional role with an hour gone to first track, and then deny Salmon, as the Villa striker bore down on Bösl’s goal with the ball at her toe at pace.

Poese, spent the game in studied silence, both hands in pockets one moment, one at her chin the next, standing in one corner of her technical area in contrast to her counterpart, Natalia Orroyo, who cajoled and encouraged and instructed her players throughout. After an hour Union’s coach made her first change, bringing on Athanasia Moraitou for Aehling, soon joined by Korina Janež and Celine Frank, coming on for Hipp and Reissner.

Though the intensity dropped a little, with Orroyo making a raft of substitutions, Orschmann wasn’t to give up, and she was livid when the ball struck her incidentally on the hand only to see it given as a free kick. During the first half she looked stunned as she was barged into from behind by Grant, to no visible effect from the linesman nearby.

She was taken off for Ida Heikkinen with 15 minutes to go, as her team-mates plugged away, refusing to give up; Schneider was unable to take advantage of Moraitou’s clever little ball through a gap that opened in front of her like a wormhole, there one moment, suddenly gone the next. Moraitou’s backheel to turn away from Georgia Mullett, drawing a foul, was a delight. Heikkinen was chased down by Lucy Parker; Bauereisen forced a diving stop from Villa’s substitute keeper, Ellie Roebuck, with a drive from outside the box.

With one minute of three added on remaining Weiß covered the width of the box to rob Grant. Seeing the ball away safely for a goal kick, she raised her voice, gesticulating with her hands. ‘Come on, there’s still a minute to go’, she implored.

Union's right wing-back had encapsulated this side in a single moment.

For all their efforts, the equaliser wasn’t to come for Union. Their first game in England had ended in a 1-0 loss, but that will matter little in the long run. What they came here for was the battle, and considering that, they can look to the first game of the Bundesliga next week with some optimism.