Berlin Derby (1)

[Union Berlin rout Leverkusen 3-0 in their first Bundesliga home match.]

Union Berlin kept steadily piling up points after the opening match against Bayern Munich.

They were riding high after that big win over the Bayern Munich juggernaut.

The tension of playing in the top flight had long since faded.

Union Berlin's players kept pushing beyond their limits every match and stayed unbeaten.

[Union Berlin draw 1-1 away at Schalke.]

[Union Berlin snatch a stoppage-time winner to beat Bochum 2-1 at home!]

We drew matches where losing wouldn't have been strange, staying focused until the end, and won matches where a draw would have been the expected result.

It was, as they say, the atmosphere of a team that's going places.

I nodded as I looked at the current league table...