As the sun poured down on the more than 14,000 people filling the Alte Försterei, it felt somehow meant to be. Never before had Union’s women’s team qualified for the Bundesliga. And here they were after the final whistle, beer flying, scarves waving, the stands of the home of both professional sides rocking and rolling like a ship on the high seas.

They would have been forgiven for betraying a few nerves as the ball started rolling. But not a bit of it. Dina Orschmann won a corner just two minutes in as she breezed past Paula Klensmann to hit the byline. She played it to the near post; the clearance flicked back into the box where Klensmann had to head Anna Weiß’s well placed header away.

They won the next a couple of minutes later, this time as Athanasia Moraitou clattered the ball off the face of Kessels culminating a move started by the terrier pressing of Tomke Schneider over the halfway line. This time Korina Janež whipped it in towards Reissner at the near post. There was a moment of chaos, but Anna Weiß had the coolest of heads, and belted home past a Lisa Palmer who could only watch on as it hit the back of the net.

She had picked a good day to score her first ever competitive goal for the club.

Whatever pressure was there, was immediately off. It was two before 10 minutes were up, and what a fine goal it was as Orschmann won the ball just inside her own half. She laid it off for Naika Reissner who took it on, charging at two defenders, beating them both, and firing past Palmen.

Union, with the wind of the Alte Försterei’s roars at their backs, were unstoppable. Imke Kessels tried to catch hold of Reissner’s shirt as she beat her again, leaving her for dust, this time choosing to set up Pia Metzker, who shot across goal, but just wide.

Gladbach weren’t here to make up the numbers, however, and with 17 minutes played, the guests got a goal back, as Suus Van Der Drift, finished neatly past an unsighted Cara Bösl.

Union came back, Heiseler drawing a good stop from Palmen, diving to her right. When played through by Reissner after 20 minutes she tried the other side, but again the result was the same as Palmen got down to stop it. Schneider, keen to get in on the action, then forced another save as she snuck in behind following Moraitou’s clever free kick, before shooting just over.

When Kyra van Leeuwe went down hurt it gave a moment for the players to catch their breaths, Orschmann chatting with Janež, Becker with Schneider. The whole Gladbach backline came together with their keeper, wondering how to stem the irresistible tide of red coming their way.  

But Orschmann wasn’t to be stopped. She won a corner having been set off by Reissner, Palmen doing well to stand up one-to-one with Union’s striker, but the resulting corner bobbled her way, and she made it 3-1 with 33 minutes played with a smart finish inside the near post from ten yards out. She punched the sky, mobbed by her teammates.

Then, as a Gladbach corner was cleared, Union made it four with a blistering break. Celine Frank, taking a grab of the shirt and a slap to the back of the head for her troubles, found Reissner who in turn played in Lisa Heiseler. Union’s captain took a touch and put it through Palmen’s legs.

Half time came as Frank was down, having taken another blow to the ankle from Kiki Scholten, but she shrugged it off as she walked down to join her team-mates at the break.

Lisa Heiseler had her head in her hands five minutes into the second half, having come out at the head of an unchanged eleven, when she put wide of Palmen’s goal only five minutes after the break. Indeed, a more crucial touch came from the ever-reliable Becker when she got a foot in ahead of Scholten as the Gladbach striker looked to shoot from inside the Union box.

Back at the other end, in front of the Waldseite, Palmen then made a superb stop from the captain, deflecting her shot wide with an outstretched boot. But it would only lead to the next goal for the devastating hosts. Janež hit the corner deep, and dangerously into the box where Schneider timed her run perfectly, meeting it on the fly, powering her header into the goal for her first goal for the club since signing over the winter. 

Janež would soon be off, replaced by Sarah Abu Sabbah, as Ailien Poese looked to finish things off in style, and within moments Klensmann was sent off, desperately trying to claw Union’s striker back as she was sent away by Heiseler.

The next goal was coming, now, and Celine Frank could not miss after Reissner and Moraitou combined down the left. She was free in the box and finished almost disbelievingly into the now gaping, empty net.

Poese rung in the changes, taking off Orschmann, Becker and Moraitou, replacing them with Nele Bauereisen, Zita Rurack and Charleen Niesler. The party in the stands, meanwhile, was now in full swing, and Palmen only kept the scoreline down by saving superbly from Bauereisen, getting quickly back across goal when the shot seemed destined to be going in.

There was still a moment of worry, as Scheider and Kristina Bartsch crashed together on the floor, going for a 50-50 ball. Both lay in agony but were back on their feet after a brief moment’s attention to rapturous applause.

There was still time for Reissner to come close, almost juggling the ball on her knees from the ground in the box, but the final whistle couldn’t come soon enough. But when it finally came, it was to adulation from the stands and the utter, beaming, delirious delight from the players and staff who had made it happen. This was history. They had achieved more than any of their predecessors. Union had made it to the Bundesliga.

“It just feels incredible. I have played for Union for thirteen years and it was always my goal to play in the Bundesliga, and now it has worked out with my beloved club. The team is just endlessly awesome, I am so proud of each and every one of them and I can't even put it into words yet.” 

"It felt very, very nice. I also had the feeling that I would score a goal today. On top of that, there is the promotion - what more could you want? It really doesn't get any better."

"We have invested so much, and we were very focused and played very well today. Now we'll give everyone two days off and everyone should celebrate. After that, we'll focus again on winning the last three games, but today nothing else is the focus besides celebrating."