Ahead of kick-off, history and form were in favour of Eintracht Frankfurt as they travelled west to face an Union Berlin side lacking confidence and goals.
Union had won just three times in the previous fifteen encounters and lost 11 consecutive games in all competitions.
Frankfurt were unbeaten in the previous five games.
However, it was hard to tell who were favourites in the ground.
A ferocious home support created a cauldron of noise as Frankfurt fans had a pyro party.
It felt like a festival of football but only the visitors were cheering in the early exchanges.
Two goals from in-form Omar Marmoush lifted Frankfurt into a two goal lead and a late goal from Ignacio Ferri sealed Union’s fate.
A storm is brewing in Köpenick and it is difficult to know when the clouds are going to clear.
Story of the match
When Union Berlin Head Coach, Urs Fischer appeared from the changing rooms this afternoon, he looked uncharacteristically sheepish.
After 11 consecutive defeats, Union Berlin were in the worst form in their history and started the game in the relegation zone after Bochum’s first win of the season on Friday night.
Occurring whilst Union are in their first Champions League campaign and being knocked out of the DFB Pokal in midweek, Fischer may rightly have felt apprehensive about the reception he would receive.
Fischer need not have worried.
After receiving support from the Board in midweek, Fischer was welcomed by resounding support as the fans serenaded him from all four sides.
Fischer was further buoyed by the return of Chelsea loanee, David Fofana into the starting line-up.
After an internal spat following the defeat at home to Napoli two weeks ago, Fofana had to reflect on his behaviour on the sidelines but returned to the side alongside Robin Gosens and Leonardo Bonucci after they were rested in midweek.
Frankfurt’s Head Coach has no such worries on or off the pitch.
Dino Toppmoeller has guided his side to 7th in Bundesliga and without defeat in the last five games.
A comfortable Pokal victory in Köln midweek enabled Toppmoeller to ring the changes. This meant the return of Kevin Trapp, Eric Dimba, Philipp Max, Lucas Tuta, Ansgar Knauff and top-scorer, Omar Marmoush to the starting line-up in a 4-3-2-1 formation.
Continuing their form, Frankfurt came flying out of the traps and were ahead inside two minutes.
After Union failed to clear a long free-kick, Marmoush showed why he is in the form of his life with a well-taken fifth goal of the season.
With his back to goal but Union defenders giving him space, Marmoush swivelled and drilled the ball into the bottom left corner with Frederik Rönnow helpless.
Marmoush had his and Frankfurt’s second after 14 minutes.
With Union defenders chasing shadows, Marmoush was left unmarked in the box as a low cross from Hugo Larsson found him six yards out for an easy finish.
Union were shocked but the decibels in the Stadion An der Alten Försterei kept rising.
Slowly, die Eisernen found their feet.
In the 18th minute, Fofana was through one-on-one but wasted the opportunity.
The striker took the chance early but his soft shot was straight at Kevin Trapp.
A minute later, Fofana was in the middle of the action as he headed the ball against the bar from a free-kick from 12 yards.
Union dominated possession thereafter but could not find a goal.
In the 38th minute, Fofana went close again but could not keep his half volley down from the edge of the box.
At the end of the half, Frankfurt had one final chance to extend their lead.
In the 43rd minute, Dina rose highest from a free-kick but mistimed the header a few yards out, much to the relief of the local support but the ease in which he found space was indicative of how Frankfurt found themselves two goals ahead at half-time.
Second half
Union continued where they left off in the second-half.
Inside 60 seconds of replacing an anonymous Benedict Hollerbach, substitute Kevin Behrens nearly scored.
With the clock striking 57, Becker fired in a low cross into Behrens, but the German international deflected the ball wide from six yards.
Two minutes later, Union thought they had finally scored.
Fofana turned inside the box on to his right foot and, like Marmoush, his shot looks destined for the bottom left corner but the strike was tipped brilliantly wide by Trapp.
In the 68th minute, Union went close once more.
This time Behrens sent his header wide of the left post from an inch-perfect Aissa Laïdouni cross.
Last season, Behrens couldn’t miss, this season it is a very different story and seemed to sum up Union’s hopes in front of goal. Hopeless.
Thinks went from bad to worse for Union.
In the 82nd minute, Ignacio Ferri put the game beyond doubt as he toe-poked a through-ball past the onrushing Rönnow.
However, Union aren’t known for rolling over.
Three minutes later, Fofana thought he had finally scored with a tap-in from 3 yards but the Referee brought the game back for an unfortunate handball in the build-up.
When it rains, it pours in Köpenick.
The disallowed goal proved to be the final action of the game as Union Berlin succumbed to 12 consecutive defeats in all competitions.
For Frankfurt, they moved within a point of Hoffeinheim in sixth with the win and are now unbeaten in six.
Player of the match: Omar Marmoush
Marmoush is in the best form of his career.
Having rarely completed 90 minutes for a number of seasons, the Egyptian striker is enjoying a run of games and a goal-scoring streak.
With six games in his last five games, Marmoush has already scored more goals this season (10) than at any other time in his career.
His two goals against Dortmund gained Frankfurt an unlikely point whilst his three goals so far in the Europa Conference League have Frankfurters dreaming of a European cup run.
Today, Marmoush was at his impervious and confident best.
Union defenders could not get close to Marmoush for his first goal.
With his back to goal, Marmoush made space to shift the ball on to his right foot and finished low to Rönnow’s right. The Union goalkeeper didn’t stand a chance as Marmoush found the bottom corner with fewer than 120 seconds on the clock.
The second goal was all about his movement.
Marmoush feinted to move to the front post, check his run, shrugged off the Union defenders and had a wealth of space at the back-post to covert Hugo Larsson’s low cross.
Marmoush proved the difference as Union dominated possession and chances, but when the tide is against you, it requires a little bit of confidence and class.
Today, Marmoush had something that Union did not: goals and confidence.