After the final whistle had blown on one of the finest performances the Stadion An der Alten Försterei had seen in long while, three remained in front of the Waldseite, with smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes. Michael Gspurning, Danilho Doekhi and Diogo Leite held their fists aloft for one last time.

The two centre-backs had been almost ever present over the last four years, 136 appearances each. The goalkeeping coach had been there for a decade, once as a player, even if one who never got to play. If all good things must come to an end, then this was surely the way to do it.

Marie-Louise Eta was long gone, her duties not yet completed before her own departure to become head coach of the women’s team, but this was as fine a statement to her abilities as any other. Her Union were magnificent on Saturday afternoon. They had played with flare and verve, and they had demolished FC Augsburg in the finest of styles.

Doekhi and Leite got their first touches in early, the former in ahead of Michael Gregoritsch with his head, the latter getting in front of Anton Kade with a toe. Until a period, late in the second half when Augsburg rallied, they would keep it up all day long.

But it was their team-mates up front who would set this day alight. Freed of the existential worries of relegation, the front four of Livan Burcu, Oliver Burke, Ilyas Ansah and Andrej Ilic were devastating. Burcu, particularly, was keen to get on the ball from the off, darting in and out. They looked to play high up the pitch, with the ball going from Aljoscha Kemlein to Ansah and back again early on. Though Ilić’s attempted no-look pass into the box didn’t come off, it showed the intent and the renewed confidence that Eta has imbued in this side since taking over.

His reward would come as the opener came in the simplest of manners after just 10 minutes; the provider, however, was an unfamiliar one. With the emotion of the farewells before kick off, it would have been easy to miss the announcement of Carl Klaus’ new contract. He had started the season as number three keeper, now he was to spring the attack. Taking Fabian Rieder’s shot at head height, he looked up and cleared from his hands, two-thirds the length of the pitch. It bounced perfectly for the speeding Oliver Burke, with Augsburg keeper, Finn Dahmen, caught in two minds, neither coming, nor going, and instead clattering into his own defender Robin Fellhauer. The ball dropped eventually for Andras Schäfer, who squared for Ilić, as free as a man could ever be in front of the open goal. He rolled it home.

With the sun now out, and the crowd in full cheer, they were enjoying themselves on the pitch; Union were dashing, flooding forwards. Ansah found Burcu on the left, who took the ball on the run, cutting in, his shot only deflected away by the thrown-out leg of Chrislain Matsima. Five minutes later it took the full weight of Fellhauer to knock him off the ball as he twisted and turned his way towards the edge of the box. Kemlein played a sharp one-two in the box with Schäfer but couldn’t turn in time.

Augsburg still had the chance of Europe on their minds, however, and tried to rally; The excellent Schäfer did well at the other end to intercept a pass, bound for Gregoritsch, clearing thoughtfully, without panic. Burcu continued his wanderings, turning Yannik Keitel inside out in the centre circle, setting Ansah away with a sharp pass, before even getting back to stop Zesiger’s low cross from inside his own box.

With 35 minutes on the clock, Leite was happy to act as conductor, telling his team-mates to keep it calm as they stroked the ball around, waiting for a gap. He thought he’d found it when he played Ilić in, but Augsburg quickly countered. The Portuguese had still seen the danger, and slid in to get to the loose ball ahead of Marius Wolf, taking a painful blow from the studs of the Augsburg man in return for his smart timing. Wincing in pain, at least he had something to remember his last game by. Doekhi robbed Rieder easily on the other side, conceding a throw-in, but getting less of the agony.

But though Augsburg were gainfully trying, Union had a plan, and it paid off again after 42 minutes when another long ball from Klaus came the way of Ilić. Letting the ball drop over his shoulder, he still had much to do. But his shot, first time, was immaculate, powerful and hit with brutal power from the edge of the box. Dahmen never stood a chance.

Union started the second half much as they had ended the first. Ilić was dragged this way and that while holding the ball up, then Rothe robbed Wolf on the right, keeping the ball inside the touchline as he burst forwards, playing in Burcu. This time he cut his pass back for Burke, whose side-footed effort was cleared at the last.

Schäfer was joining in the fun, too, winning a tackle in the middle and breaking, setting Burke away once, though offside, then a second time, with Dahmen stretching to parry his cross, hit back low and across the face of goal. Trimmel, too, was close to getting his first of the season as Union tore into their beleaguered guests; Dahmen tipping his blistering drive just wide of his right-hand upright.

But the keeper could do little about Union’s third. This time Schäfer picked his spot from 25 yards and hit a rocket of a shot into the top corner. Again, it had come from Burcu, looking up and playing the simplest of passes

They were irrepressible. Kemlein let one fly, only a deflection taking the ball off target and out for the next corner. Burke, played in by Ansah, then crossed but neither Ilić nor Burcu could get on the end of it. Burcu had an effort of his own with the hour up, trying to beat Dahmen with the most minimal of backlift, but seeing his shot fly just wide of the far post.

Eta made her first changes then, with Wooyeong Jeong and Josip Juranović replacing Ansah and Trimmel; Tim Skarke would replace Burcu five minutes later. Kemlein would get booked for a tug on the shirt of Fellhauer, as Augsburg had their most dominant spell of the game. Klaus then made a superb stop from Kade and Zesige put a diving header wide, while Uchenna Ogundu crashed a shot off the post. But by this point it was largely immaterial, and the cheers the keeper got when he launched himself into a sliding tackle, beating Ogundu to the ball outside the box, told you all you needed to know. The crowd were in full voice, enjoying every moment of it.

Burke and Ilić were taken off with five minutes to go, replaced by Leopold Querfeld and Dmytro Bogdanov, the latter fresh from bagging an assist for the equaliser in the U-19s cup final on Thursday. And Rothe was a whisker away from setting him away only a minute after coming on, following the next steepling ball from Klaus.

Bogdanov was however involved as Union made it four with just a couple of minutes to play. Juranović hit a lovely ball over the top for Skarke, who brought it down neatly, laying the ball off for the young Ukrainian. Though his shot was blocked, it fell perfectly for Jeong. He staggered and stalled, taking his time picking his spot, before stabbing it home, with all the time in the world.

At the final whistle, with the stadium bouncing with joy on all sides, the players came together in a circle for a final time this season, with Eta speaking at its heart. They broke into applause and broke for the lap of honour, the stadium still in raptures.

The season had come to an end in the most spectacular of fashions. For Doekhi, Leite and Gspurning, as for Alex Král and, fitness trainer, Silvio Thieme this was goodbye. For Eta, however, it was just a see you soon.

“It was fun. We were incredibly eager to play, and incredibly agile. The defence allowed very little, and up front, the balls were well looked after. We were good in transition. I believe I have a very good strike, and that can be a weapon against teams that push high.” 

“Of course, we have had difficult phases this season, especially in the second half. I have to say that luck was not on our side either. There were four or five games where the first shot was always a dream goal against us. In the last two games, we scored the first goal.” 

“It was a team performance today. Thanks to the boys, thanks to the staff, thanks to the fans. Winning football matches is always fun, that's why we do this whole thing. The way we played was important to us, we took good steps and worked on it day by day. It's great that it worked out like this. Not just winning a match, but also this way."