You would be a fool to write this 1. FC Union Berlin side off. They were behind with four minutes to go against Mainz, and with two minutes played of time-added-on against Augsburg. Now, for their next trick, with seven minutes to go at fifth placed Stuttgart, they were, too, 1-0 down. But it mattered little. They are making fun of the formbook, delighting in their comebacks. If this was boxing, they’d call it rope-a-dope. Just when you thought they were finally done, Stanley Nsoki found Wooyeong Jeong, who scored without breaking stride. He refused to celebrate against his former side, a gesture that only added to the coolness of his finish.

But it wasn’t unfair, nor undeserved. Union were excellent, they deserved it. Especially as they’d had a somewhat uncertain start.

Livan Burcu was booked after under 20 seconds, having caught Maxi Mittelstädt just on the edge of the Stuttgart box, aiming for the ball with his studs, hitting the shin and ankle. Josip Juranović got his first touch in early too, though this was on the ball, heading it out for a corner as Mittelstädt wafted a ball in towards Frederik Rönnow’s back post; though it seemed to be drifting out, it was better to be safe than sorry.

Steffen Baumgart had warned during his press conference on Friday that, in contrast to the games against Mainz and Augsburg, his side would have to get used to playing without the ball here, and so it proved initially, as Mittelstadt again crossed after only five minutes for Josha Vagnoman to head over.

The hosts’ first big chance came as Vagnoman was set away, inside right, Catching Union high as they looked to push up for the first time. Frederik Rönnow, however, was off his line in a flash, standing up as long as he could, spreading himself as the shot came.

Union started to add a little pressure of their own, with Leopold Querfeld taking a Juranović pass down beautifully, but failing to get a shot past the first man. Juranović took two corners, the second of which he played cleverly short to Burcu, who hit the byline, conjuring a half-chance for Rani Khedira.

If that had only been a snapshot, a flurry, Union would have a huge opportunity next up when Ilić’s pressure in the air - following Aljoscha Kemlein’s brilliant header - saw Julian Chabot head the Serbian striker inadvertently through on goal. But though he shot early, and confidently, beating Alexander Nübel, the ball crashed off the base of the back post, and away to safety. Despite his lack of fortune in front of goal, Ilić was once again excellent with his back to goal in the first half, towering into flick-ons, particularly against Chabot.

At the other end, after a typical piece of play from the former Unioner, Jamie Leweling, who attacked up the middle, saw Vagnoman slip away, but he dragged his left-footed shot well wide of the back post. Mittelstädt blazed a good effort over the bar on 25 minutes, if Rönnow had the shot covered. If all the talk beforehand had been of Deniz Undav, and his astonishing form in front of goal, he put his first real half-chance well wide, when he would have been expected to at least force Rönnow into a save.

Burcu, flickering when he had the ball, his first touch often a  delight, picked out Ilić,  but Ramon Hendriks did well to get across, timing his challenge perfectly to stop the Union man from setting off free again on goal - though his back-pass to Nübel a few minutes later was under-hit, and required a panicky clearance from the keeper, slipping as he rushed out, as if he’d stepped on a stray toy car (presumably a Porsche.)

Hendriks was never far from the action as Union increased their pressure, and their presence inside the Stuttgart half, and he again did well as Burcu took Khedira’s short pass, looking to spin past him on the right-hand edge of the six-yard box in a single flourish. Vagnoman was booked with five minutes of the half to play, resorting to shoving Burcu from behind; Haberer hit a gorgeous first time half-volleyed cross from Diogo Leite’s long, arcing ball, only winning a corner when, were it not for a last decisive touch at the near post, it could have found Khedira, ready to pounce.

The second half started with the best chance of the afternoon so far for Stuttgart. Chris Führich wriggled his way down to the byline, crossing flat into the box where Juranović somehow got in in front of Vagnoman to clear, a scene that demanded his response; Leweling was looming, too. With the hosts trying to take advantage of their time on the front foot, Undav then saw his next shot, again, excellently saved by Rönnow, his instincts as sharp as his reflexes.

Meanwhile a tifo had now spread the entirety of the Union section, taking up a corner of what was once called the Neckarstadion. At its heart was the first badge of the club – all in honour of their 60th birthday, to be celebrated on Tuesday.

Inspired, Union rallied, and Andras Schäfer won the next corner when, having got tangled up in Kemlein’s legs as the pair fell together, he managed to get to his feet in time to crack a shot across goal, one deflected only inches away from where Haberer was now standing, ready to knock the ball home.

But for all their efforts, Union then went a goal down. Hendrik created it, checking his run to follow the edge of the 18-yard-box, meandering along the line until he laid it off for Führich. He took a touch inside before shooting hard and low, picking out the only spot Rönnow couldn’t reach.

But as those last two games had shown, Union weren’t to give up so easily. Khedira found Burcu up on the right; Ilić headed over Doekhi’s deep cross; Haberer tackled Atakan Karazor with a flourish, managing to lay the ball off for Doekhi in the same, swinging move.

With little over 20 minutes to play, Baumgart made his first changes, bringing off Juranović and Burcu for Stanley Nsoki and Ilyas Ansah. The boss had talked of Nsoki as being an option at left back during the week, so it came as no great surprise (as it would also work wonders). Nor did the roughness of Hendriks’ first foul on Ansah, if he did feign a certain astonishment when the free kick was called. Wooyeong Jeong joined them soon enough, himself replacing Schäfer.

Ansah was seeing plenty of the ball out left – from where he picked out Jeong, whose shot crashed into his marker – but it was Stuttgart who should have doubled their lead when Angelo Stiller was found haring into space in front of the Union goal. He did everything right, bar the finish, blasting over the bar when all he needed to do was lift it past the advancing Rönnow. It was a mistake they would soon regret

Because it was almost inevitable that as soon as Nsoki hit the byline, that something was coming - it just keeps happening. He looked up and cut it back for Jeong, the perfect cross, low, sharp and precise, and the former Stuttgart man had not a second’s doubt. He hit it first time and were the net not in the way it would still be rising now, its trajectory impossible for Nübel to get even a hand to.

Jeong, indeed, came within a whisker of winning it five minutes later, this time attacking inside right, and opting to shoot back and across Nübel, but the keeper just got down in time, sticking out his right hand, only stopping the goal-bound ball with his fingertips.

Union smelled blood, and after Burke replaced Ilić, with four minutes to play, they were giving everything to try and take all three points. It didn’t happen, but at the time few would have been surprised if they had.

You think you’ve finished this remarkable side off at your peril. 

“We played a very, very good away game and deservedly take home a point. Everything that defines us was on display here today. We were perhaps even a tad more dangerous in the first half, but at the end of the day, the draw is deserved,”

“We can live with the point very well, even if we could have taken more at the back. It was hard work, especially in situations where the ball was out wide. We wanted to control these situations and I think we succeeded. Now we're coming out of the week in good spirits and can look to the future positively.”

"I feel great, I scored a goal. And that's exactly what I wanted. I'm also delighted that we got a point. We've practiced situations like the one before the goal many times, so I just had to concentrate when I took the shot. I think the result is deserved in the end."

“The result sometimes sounds as if we were lucky, but if you look at today's 90 minutes, we had more chances to take the lead. In the end, the boys came back once again and the 1-1 draw is okay. I also saw two very good goalkeepers today, because Freddie also made some outstanding saves."