There was fog billowing over the thickly wooded hills opposite the cantilevered roof of the main stand of the charming Möslestadion in Freiburg. It looked like the setting of a horror film from the 60’s as the players came out to warm up. The pitch was already dark and heavy from the rain.

Union just needed a win to take over the lead of the 2. Liga with just two games to go – any way, any how - but this was never going to be an easy task. Not only were the hosts fighting for their 2.  Liga lives, the ball wouldn’t so much run on the pitch, as unwillingly dawdle.

Little did they know. All watching would have their nerves jangled to the core. As terrifying as this was for both sides, for the neutral it was a joy.

Following an early Freiburg corner, however, they started to find their feet as Dina Orschmann drew a good stop from Lena Nuding in Freiburg’s goal. Sarah Abu Sabbah, making her first start for Union since injury put her out for much of the season back in October against Bayern II, squeezed her follow-up shot off, but it cracked against the outside of the post.

With only five minutes played the rhythms of play had largely established themselves; Union dominated the ball, and Freiburg packed their half with bodies, hoping to repel the barrage of attacks, and maybe spring a surprise of their own on the break.

The dangers inherent in this, however, were laid bare when Lisa Heiseler slipped through their deeply set lines and drew a good reflex stop from Nuding after six minutes, and it would take only another two for the guests to take the lead. This time it was Abu Sabbah who followed up on Tomke Schneider’s cross, charging in towards the right-hand post from outside, and gave the Freiburg stopper no chance.

Though Halverkamps would have another decent effort from distance, Union weren’t to have everything their own way, as Michelle Blöchlinger cut in from the right, shot across Cara Bösl in the Union goal, but could only see the ball roll an inch wide of the back post.

Though a let-off - Union weren’t to allow too many more like that outside of a single header from a corner, flashed wide by  a distance - and indeed it was the hosts who could consider themselves fortunate when Nuding made another fine stop from Orschmann’s shot from outside the box. Heiseler couldn’t quite get hold of the rebound.

The guests were focussed and dogged, and refused to get ahead of themselves; Abu Sabbah dropped back into midfield when the ball needed recovering with Union still only a goal to the good; Anna Weiß did superbly after 35 minutes to chase down a rare Freiburg attack, making up metres over the uncertain, sodden pitch; Orschmann, too, was impeccable in support when she made it all the way back along the touchline to give Marie Becker an option having won the ball but needing an outlet.

There was time for Heiseler to flash an effort just over when put through by Orschmann before the break, but she was to be flagged offside as soon as the ball disappeared, over the running track and into the mist, anyway.

They would be content with the lead.

The second half kicked off with Union’s head coach having made just the one change, the experienced Nele Bauereisen coming in for Pia Metzker. And things could barely have started better as Heiseler chased onto a long ball from Becker that left the Freiburg defence in pieces. She took a touch, and couple of steps forwards before hammering the ball past Nuding and into the roof of the net.

It took Union’s skipper to the top of the goalscoring charts. She has had the season of her life.

But within two minutes Freiburg would be back in the game as Jule Bianchi, who had only taken to the pitch at the break, lobbed Cara Bösl beautifully having found herself in an acre of space just outside the box and the ball landing at her toe.

Where the first half had been marked by periods of drudgery, as the players struggled to find any fluency on the ball, the game had now opened up. Orschmann tested Nuding, stinging the keeper’s palms with her near post drive; Becker  made another superbly anticipated tackle when she stopped Bianchi in her tracks after Charlotte Schmidt had turned Bauereisen with a drop of the shoulder  and turn inside.

With 25 minutes to play Poese replaced Abu Sabbah with Judith Steinert, moving to a back three, looking to solidify things for the game’s final phases. But Union were close to catastrophe when Bösl found herself out of position following  a long ball out, though Freiburg failed to take advantage of the sudden break in the fortunes.

Union weren’t to be accused of a lack of adventure, and Bauereisen found Heiseler with a wonderful, curling, crossfield ball, but Freiburg’s improved play this half was to be repaid when Victoria Ezebinyuo rose to head home a corner after 73 minutes. From being 2-0 up, it was now 2-2, and their chances of the title were drifting away.

Union needed a goal, and with just over ten minutes to play Poese turned to Korina Janež, bringing her fresh legs and technical ability for the tiring Orschmann. And though it was Heiseler who would have the next chance – flashing a left footed shot just over – the swap would prove quickly to be a masterpiece.

Judith Steinert found space on the left, crossing impeccably to where Janež rose to head past the leaden-footed Nuding. It was 3-2. She roared away, chased by her teammates.

Heiseler came closer still before Moraitou and Frank made way for Eleni Markou and Katja Orschmann, and when Schneider put her laces through the ball when picking it up at the back with just a couple of minutes to play, it was clear that this was how things would end out. Freiburg, fighting for their own lives, had a final free kick with five minutes already played of time-added-on.

But when the ball dropped, waist-high, into the arms of Bösl, it was clear. She dropped to the floor, reluctant to let it go, clinging on like it was a precious object

At the final whistle you could see on the faces of the Union players how much it meant, but also how they’d had to fight for this win. They came together by the half way line and danced in great circles, their arms locked together.

It had turned into a fairytale. Union were top of the league.

“I don’t even know what to say. I am just really happy that we won and that we did it together today. We definitely have enough time on the long drive back to celebrate a little.” 

“We all managed this so well together today, and being at the top of the table now is a great reward. We had to get the win, and we did that together as a team. I just decided today to score a goal again after a long time,” added the winning goal scorer Korina Janez with a smile.

“The game today certainly cost a lot of nerves. We made some simple mistakes at times and let ourselves be pushed back a bit, but then we really reacted brilliantly. We fought our way back into the game and showed that we can handle that as well. Therefore, the team deserves great praise for this battle. Nevertheless, we still need to talk about some things.”