1. FC Union Berlin travelled to Leipzig’s somewhat unromantically named RB-Trainingszentrum with high hopes. They had after all proved to be a thorn in their side over the past two seasons, knocking them out of the cup last year, and decimating them 5-0 at home back in October. If the 15 minutes of silence from the superb Union faithful served as a reminder of the ideological differences between the clubs, the hosts had a score to settle. 

Leipzig weren’t here for the fun of it, and Union would need a superb performance at the back to keep them at bay. It was all hands-on-deck at times, they stuck to their task resolutely.

This was all indicated in the first seconds as Lisa Baum skipped past Hannah Eurlings in the first minute elegantly, a touch of the ball and she was away. But as she tried to get on the end of a pass slid up the line, Samantha Steuerwald was there, perfectly placed to anticipate the run.

The boxy, flat-pack but up-close stadium was filled with the travelling Union fans, they filled every crevice, every glossy crack and corner. And though they would have dreamed as such on the short-ish hop from Berlin, few there could believe their eyes as Union took the lead with barely 90 seconds on the clock. Following a catastrophically underhit pass backwards, seemingly intended for keeper, Elvira Herzog, Sophie Weidauer, fresh back from scoring as German U23 captain, took a touch and looked up.

Though she was way out on the right, she saw Herzog off her line. Weidauer lifted it high, dropping over the keeper and under the bar. It was a wonderful finish from a striker clearly full of confidence. She would make a superb tackle on Lou-Ann Joly shortly afterwards, coming across to the opposite flank, flinging herself with impeccable timing into her slide.

And though Leipzig fought back – one side of the stadium deceived into thinking they’d equalised when their first shot with any real intent hit the side netting – Union were patient and composed, and a neat passing move between Hannah Eurlings, Lisa Heiseler and Tanja Pawollek saw the captain floored. Dina Orschmann’s free kick passed Amber Tysiak’s forehead by a matter of millimetres.

The fans broke their silence, but almost as soon as they raised their voices, Leipzig were level. The dangerous Baum advanced down the right, cut back and wafted a cross/shot towards the back post with her left, bending inwards. As tempting as it was, no-one got on the end of it, not even the diving Cara Bösl, and it kissed the inside of the post as it flew in.

Leipzig, buoyed by the goal, upped their momentum, and Nikoline Dudek flashed a volley wide having nipped in round the back of the Union defence to meet another swinging, deep cross, this time from the left.

Then came the sight of Dina Orschmann writhing in agony after clashing with Herzog as they went for a 50-50 ball. Having dragged herself to her feet, she walked off the pitch gingerly, feeling her back. With Orschmann returned, Leipzig tried to go route one,  a steepling ball from their back-line dropping between Delice Boboy and Bösl, hit so long that the Union stopper had time to run back to her goal-line, before realising she had misjudged its flight, and raced back out to sweep up ahead of the onrushing striker.

Union kept on at their game, Lia Kamber, Steinert and Eurlings interlinking on the right; Weidauer dropping back into midfield and almost setting Orschmann away; Heiseler bustling around the middle of the pitch, telling her team-mates to keep calm when in possession, always asking for the ball, herself. Weidauer never really caught her 36^th minute volley – too high to get a solid connection, too close to get any weight on it – but still it went close.

Union were solid at the back, their lines crisp and clean, their tacking sharp, and when Sandra Starke clipped a cross into the box, Tysiak headed it clear with preternatural calm. But for all that, they would go behind just before the break, and it was as if a mirror had been held up to the first. Marleen Schimmer attacked down the left, cut in and bent her shot across the box and in at the back post.

With 45 minutes already up, Union came close to levelling. First Heiseler burst through, but though Herzog parried her left-footed drive, she could only do so as far as Weidauer. As the keeper and the striker came together for the now loose ball, Weidauer got the final touch, clipping the ball up and off the bar, clattered by Herzog in the aftermath. It looked like a penalty, but referee, Julia Boike, was having none of it, and the half drew to a close shortly afterwards.

Union came out for the second half unchanged, with the grey skies now darkening, a chill setting in over the stadium. And they set off again in pursuit of the equaliser, clawing their way back into the game in the second half almost as quickly they had set the tone in the first. Steinert chased Starke back, forcing a corner on Union’s right. Orschmann took it, high and deep, to where Samantha Steuerwald towered over everyone else in the box, flicking her header past Herzog.

Kamber forced the next save from Herzog, presented the ball by Weiß, who couldn’t have shown more determination down the right, beating Schimmer once on the wing, then again as she refused to give up at the byline. Orschmann was next, but her shot was cleared ahead of the near post by Julia Landenberger. She matched Weiß’s refusal to wilt when she popped up a moment later, winning a crucial tackle ahead of Schimmer, back in her own half. Kamber completed her own tackle on the same player almost straight afterwards.

On the stroke of the hour, Poese made her first changes, bringing Eileen Campbell and Jenny Hipp - returning, of course, to her former club - on for Orschmann and Heiseler.

Leipzig weren’t without their chances, and Boboy should have maybe done better than shooting wide when well played to at least have hit the target as she turned in the box into space. She did finally draw a save from Bösl, but was off balance, having been knocked back by Steuerwald, and then put under increasing pressure by Steinert. She then shot over after lung-busting runs from Eurlings and Weiß had seen Baum caught up with when she suddenly seemed to be sprinting free towards Bösl’s goal. Schimmer shot wide having eventually shaken off even Weiß’s attentions.

At the other end, Kamber slotted a lovely pass through for Campbell, but Herzog was out of her box just in time to clear the danger.

Weiß was herculean at times, and her next tackle on Boboy was a masterpiece, catching her again, just as it seemed she had been beaten for pace. Having given everything, it was her last action, replaced by Ida Heikkinen with 15 minutes to go, joined by Naika Reissner, on for Eurlings. Poese made her next three changes with 15 minutes to go, replacing Eurlings.

The rain now falling in a steady fine stream, the final phases of the game largely took place in the Union half, as Steuerwald and Tysiak were joined in vital tackles by Pawollek, Hipp and Heikkinen. Reissner, though, wriggled into a little pocket on the left, but couldn’t beat Herzog.

Poese’s final change came as Antonia Halverkamps replaced Weidauer, with just a couple of minutes left on the clock, but she had little chance to make an impact, and the final moments were played out with Reissner and Kamber, battling for possession out on the left wing.

The players lingered in front of the massed ranks of the Unioner for a while after the final whistle, despite the now heavy rainfall. They had plenty to celebrate, after all. And if they hadn’t matched the glories of those previous two encounters, they had more than proved themselves. They’d fought for every inch. 

“We started the match very well with the quick goal. After Leipzig's two goals, we remained stable and showed what kind of morale the team has. I think we can live very well with this point." 

"It was a match between the penalty areas with few scoring chances. Therefore, the draw is justified. With a bit more luck in the game, we could certainly have won, but in the end, we are also satisfied with the point and return to Berlin with a lot of confidence."

“It was a very open game that could have gone either way. The draw is essentially the fair result. Of course, we would have liked to win, but considering the contest, the draw is completely acceptable. Both teams played well."