Union had never beaten Bayern, whether in Berlin or in Munich, though they had never come closer than in November, when Harry Kane equalised in the 93^rd minute at the Alte Försterei. That, and the narrow 3-2 loss in the Cup a few weeks later had given Saturday’s guests cause for hope. Sometimes, however, it’s the hope that kills you. Here, after Bayern scored three in six minutes either side of the break, though they fought and battled and chased every loose ball, they never really had a chance.

The plan, though, was clear. To sit and try and to try and keep Bayern at bay, to make the crucial tackles, to make them work for everything. Union’s double goalscorer in the league that day, Danilho Doekhi, was in early, nipping ahead of Harry Kane, while the man who got a brace in the Cup, Leopold Querfeld, belted Michael Olise’s early pass into the box away, too. Frederik Rönnow, as vital a returnee as Querfeld, was out quickly, too, ahead of Serge Gnabry, as was the third of that defensive triumvirate, Stanley Nsoki, ahead of Lennart Karl

Union were to be patient, waiting for their chances to break, and Dayot Upamecano was booked after only two minutes when he caught Livan Burcu just as he wriggled a bit of space to run into as he crossed the halfway line. Burcu, playing sometimes as a ten, sometimes deeper, was always looking to get off on the good foot as soon as he had the ball under his spell, but Union had to be permanently on their guard, and the dangerous Kane, of whom there had been so much talk in the build-up, almost snuck in onto Olise’s chipped pass over the top; Querfeld did brilliantly to stop Olise as he tried to trick his way into the box.

Union’s first real attack came after 15 minutes, as Burcu found Köhn on the overlap, but his ball didn’t reach Tim Skarke as he chased towards the Bayern box. But, as expected, Union’s opportunities in the opening phases were few and far between. Reluctant to open themselves up, Rönnow punched clear from two successive corner, Nsoki turned the ball away from Kane, then Gnabry shot wide from range.  But they would have a big chance with 21 minutes up, as Khedira was clattered on the edge of the box by Leon Goretzka. Köhn and Burcu stood over it, a couple of inches outside the 18-yard-box, with the latter crashing it off the wall and out for a corner.

Bayern had dominance over the ball as the half wore on, but Rönnow, calmness personified held Olise’s cross and Joshua Kimmich’s lofted ball into the box, both above his head, both without a care in the world. He embodied a defiant Union performance that far but was helpless as Josip Stanisic darted onto a pass over the top and squared for Karl. Few could believe their eyes as the youngster saw his shot come back off the back post and away; it had seemed certain to be going in.

The Danish stopper was more certain shortly afterwards, diving to his left to parry Olise’s low drive that zipped goalwards along the pitch.

The clock ticking towards the break, Bayern were now almost toying with Union at times, pushing them ever deeper, with Gnabry and Laimer involved on one side, and Olise and Stanisic on the other, passing and moving and passing and moving in well-ordered lines. Kane flashed one free kick high and wide, then somehow screwed his shot wide of the back post after Nsoki’s unfortunate touch back towards his own goal, under pressure after Gnabry’s twisting, jinking run. Goretzka then threw himself at Stanisic’s low cross, but again the ball flew wide off his toe, when you’d expect him to score a chance like that, most days of the week.

Union were hoping to keep things goalless until the break, but it was like they were trying to hold back the sea now. The pressure had to tell, and though Goretzka found him with a lovely pass, Olise’s first touch as he cut inside Nsoki before beating Rönnow with an unstoppable finish in the 42^nd minute, was impeccable.

Gnabry doubled it with almost the last kick of the half, when Kimmich had the ball dropping onto his left foot, via Doekhi’s shoulder, ten yards out. Though Khedira was well-placed on the line, there was little he could do, the shot coming just with too much power.

It had taken them 42 minutes to get there, and three to score twice. With that, they had broken Union at the break.

Steffen Baumgart made two changes at the break, bringing on Tom Rothe and Andrej Ilić for Nsoki and Skarke. And despite an early flourish, a briefest moment of momentum given by the switch to the back four, within three minutes it was normal service resumed. Gnabry found Laimer who found Kane, towards the edge of the box. He turned and smashed the ball past Rönnow. From two in three minutes, now it was three in six and Bayern were now coasting. Kane saw a header stopped by Rönnow, and a shot deflected wide. Karl should have done better than turn his shot meekly into Rönnow’s arms. Gnabry shot over with his left having turned Trimmel inside out.

With an hour gone, Baumgart swapped out Burcu and Kemlein for Alex Kral and Wooyeong Jeong, but despite the latter’s record of scoring having come on as a sub, they were mostly to join in the helpless, selfless chasing of players in red, as the hosts moved the ball about at will. Still, they tried and they strived. Ilić winning a long ball up from Querfeld, but Gnabry would make it four, with a fine, first-time, low drive after Olise’s shot was blocked by Doekhi.

Bayern were superb by this point, Union chasing shadows. They gave all they could, of course, with Doekhi making a brilliantly timed tackle on Olise, and Jeong drawing a fine, flying stop from Jonas Urbig. Král would force another from the Bayern understudy keeper, but Olise drifted into space with the greatest of ease with little over ten minutes to go, rolling his shot past Rönnow, but off the back post. Five minutes later, he glided into the box again, this time stopped by a muscular Rothe challenge.

With two minutes to go, Kane was put through on goal, the ball weighted perfectly, Rönnow caught in no-man’s-land. The England striker looked to dink it over his head, a rare case of overconfidence overwhelming him, and again he put wide.

The 4,000 travelling Union fans hadn’t given up, they sung until the end. Nor had the players, but it was hard to keep their heads up as they applauded back after the final whistle. Now they have the international break to regather, to regroup, before the crunch-end of the season begins. No, they've still not won in Munich, but in the greater scheme of things, it doesn't really matter.