Eight days shy of two years ago 1. FC Union Berlin travelled to Köln, with both needing to win to have a chance of staying in the Bundesliga. Union, of course, had started that season with the lights of the Champions league bright in their eyes, but by May, were on their third head coaches of the season. One was Marco Grote, the other, Marie-Louise Eta. That day had been a disaster for Union. Having been two down, the Müngersdorfer Stadion became a bear pit, a seething hellish place, as the hosts came back, winning in the 93^rd minute.

Few there will forget it, neither the noise, nor the loss, not the endless journey back home with everything still on the line. But today, that score was, almost, settled as Union came back from two down. And the volume? Well, that was the measure of it too. Because, as Livan Burcu wheeled away, having scored a wonderful equaliser, everyone here knew just how big a point this could prove to be.

It was with a certain irony, of course, that here, once again, they met. 13^th versus 14^th. And if anyone hadn’t forgotten the importance of this game, the stadium, bathed in glorious sunshine, had been singing as one since half an hour before kick off.

Stanley Nsoki, back in the side for the first time since Bayern away, started sharply, stepping up out of the back three, he nipped the ball away from Gian-Luca Waldschmidt as easily as you like.

Then play stopped. Jahmai Simpson-Pusey had gone down under a nudge from Ilyas Ansah with almost the first act of the half, and with a minute gone, he did so again. Referee, Daniel Schlager, had a word with the Union player, as did his captain, Rani Khedira. But it wasn’t just the Köln man who would hit the deck early on, Khedira did so too, as he played Oliver Burke in with a pass over the top, getting clattered for his troubles. Play went on around him, with Aljoscha Kemlein blasting his shot high and wide.

But the pace and strength of Burke and Ansah were already causing the Köln back line problems, they chased every loose ball, giving keeper, Marvin Schwäbe, no time to think when he had it at his feet. At the back, Leite was getting a feel for his new position, winning a header, then making a perfectly timed sliding tackle against Jakub Kaminski. Leite did even better when Kaminski brought a high ball down over his shoulder, looking to cut inside, but the Portuguese was there again.

The pressure high on both teams, it was Köln who betrayed the first signs of nerves, especially as Schwäbe overhit his routine pass out to Simpson-Pusey, complaining as the stray ball went out for a throw-in. Starting-eleven debutant, Carl Klaus, was cooler on the ball, taking his time, as he helped Union circulate it, taking the sting out of the occasion.

Union came closest to opening the scoring after 22 minutes, after another sharp bit of pressuring from Burke had seen the ball go back to Tom Rothe, then along the edge of the box to Kemlein, who took a touch, picked his spot, but couldn’t quite get enough bend on the ball to guide it inside the back post.

Union were growing into the game, with Kemlein and Rothe linking up again on one side, Juranović and Schäfer on the other. Rothe flashed a header over the bar; Khedira tried a waist-high volley, but it came back off the first man in the way. Schäfer then found Burke on the byline, his cross hit hard, back across goal where the flying Ansah was an inch away. Rothe followed up, refusing to concede possession, sliding in on Sebastian Sebulonson, somehow winning the ball with a telescopic leg, while getting up and crossing in the same movement.

But then, against the run of play, Köln took the lead. Waldschmidt and Kaminski sprinted onto a long ball, the former offside, but leaving it for the latter. Leite, waiting for the flag he was certain was soon to come, was caught in two minds, as the ball came ultimately back to the former Union player, Marius Bülter. His finish from outside the box was hard and true, and unstoppable. He wheeled away in the direction of the Gegengerade before, remembering where he was, he put his palms down, refusing to celebrate.

Leite and Khedira were fuming, but their pleas achieved nothing, apart from a yellow card for Leite.

The wind taken out of their sails, Union tried to put a couple of moves together, but their momentum had been stalled. With the crowd growing nervy, they let out a great roar when Klaus saved at the feet of Said El Mala with a desperately outstretched leg, before Rothe launched in, last gasp, on Waldschmidt as he seemed certain to finish. For the Unioner, the fight they were showing was at least a sign of hope.

With five minutes added-on came another flash in front of the Köln goal, as again the tireless Burke got ahead of Lund down the right, his cross, again, within touching distance of the flying boot of Rothe. But again, it flashed by him.

Union threw everything they had at the guests during the last minutes before the break, with Leite robbing El Mala and striding forwards, Rothe crossing, Khedira trying to find space to shoot but getting crowded out. But still nothing would come of it.

Marie-Louise Eta made no changes at the break, sending her team out early into the sunlight. Khedira chatted with the referee, Schlager, as they waited for the guests. With Köln looking to sit back a little, enjoying their advantage, Kemlein turned inside the centre-circle, trying to pick out Burke, but while the Scot turned right, the pass went to his left.

They threw men forwards but were almost caught on the break when Bülter charged onto a long clearance, Nsoki hot on his heels. To the Unioner’s delight, his cross was just too far ahead of Tom Krauß for him to make contact. Nsoki then did superbly to dismiss Waldschmidt, back in his own box, anticipating his touch.  Still Union poured forwards, and again Rothe was the minutest of distances away from getting a decisive touch ahead of Schwäbe after a free kick, won by Ansah, taken by Juranović, came his way.

Thirteen minutes in, Eta changed things up. Ansah, Schäfer and Juranović were replaced by Livan Burcu, Andrej Ilić and Christopher Trimmel. But it wasn’t to have the desired effect – at least not immediately - because just over five minutes later, Köln doubled their lead through El Mala, capping a neat bit of quick passing and moving that went from the middle, out left, before the German under-21 swept it across Klaus and inside the back post.

The stadium was now getting nervy. Burcu, keen to get the ball on the move, darted up the middle, but he hit a brick wall. Doekhi rose for Trimmel’s out-swinging cross but couldn’t get his timing right under pressure. Then Eta threw her cards on the table, replacing Nsoki with Tim Skarke with 25 minutes to play, shifting to a back four.

Then, with 73 minutes on the clock, Union got a sniff. Having won a corner, as Schwäbe tipped a steepling ball over the bar, Trimmel hit it high, ballooning out to where Rothe rose higher than everyone, planting a fine, towering header past the flat-footed keeper. He charged back for the re-start, signalling to his team-mates that they should do the same. They stadium bubbled in anticipation. There was still time.

Khedira crossed from the left, Burcu crossed from the right, Trimmel ran half the pitch, the roars deafening.  Lund then went down with cramp, the first of many with a similar affliction from the away side as the clock ticked on, all the better to eat up the time, of course. When he finally got to his feet, he strolled off, dawdling over the line, as the din of whistles only grew all around.

And when Schwäbe hit the longest of balls up top, Leite won it, taking a crashing blow from El Mala’s replacement, Youssoupha Niang. He looked hurt, but sprung to his feet, refusing both the medical attention already coming his way, and the handshake proffered by the opposing striker.

Leite was winning everything that came his way, but he lost out when the next punt upfield came his way. When Cenk Özkacar teed up his shot, however, Claus, having a quiet day so far, was there to tip it at full stretch, just over the bar.  Now, with time running out for Union, Khedira found Burke with a back-heel, but he bent his shot over. Then, with Martel the next victim of cramp, play stopped. Something, however, was brewing.  Burcu had never scored in the Bundesliga before. His moment was just to come. 

Burcu picked up the ball, inside left. He danced inside, then paused, like a snake charmer, staring at his markers, the ball at his toe. He drifted in before letting a wonderful shot off into the top corner. The roof came off; bedlam was all around. It was a glorious finish and could prove to be one of the most vital goals this place has seen in years. It could even prove to be up there with Janik Haberer’s strike against Freiburg. Eta, of course, was on the touchline then, too.  

There were nine minutes added on, and the tension was still palpable among the noise and the wildness still erupting in the terraces. Oliver Burke caught a fine volley, certain that it was only stopped on its path towards goal by Eric Martel’s hand. It was waved away, despite the protests. Despite the din.

Köln hit back, throwing men forwards, but now it was Union’s turn to hold firm until the the stroke of the ninth minute, when it was finally all over. The Alte Försterei cried out, in devotion, in relief, and utter, screaming, teeming joy.

It may have been only a point. But it was a big one, and they’ll remember it for a long time to come. 

“The Alte Försterei played a huge part in us coming back here today and picking up a point. It’s definitely a point we’ve earned, because we were down 0–2 at home. But then we played brilliantly and stood together with the fans.”

“My first Bundesliga goal, and in the situation we’re in. That was a relief, and I’m very happy about it. The 1-0 was a clear misjudgement, and the 2-0 was very bitter. But that shows the team’s spirit: it was impressive how we came back." 

“We had already decided at halftime to do everything we could to come back. But then we conceded the second. Even after that goal, we didn’t give up, and of course our strength on set pieces is a proven asset in such situations. We’re very pleased that Livan was then rewarded with a great play, giving us the well-deserved equalizer.”