Weary Heidenheim and Leipzig go above and beyond in Bundesliga | Andy Brassell

Today at 07:40 AM

These clubs are authors of improbable rises up the levels of German football, albeit with key differences in their details

"Many people here," asserted Frank Schmidt, "don't even know what my team achieved here today, playing for a result until the end against a Champions League participant. I would like to encourage everyone to look at their performance a little. It was sensational."

RB Leipzig emerged victorious from this Sunday meeting of European competition recoverers in southern Germany which, in context, had no business being as satisfying and as enduringly interesting as it turned out to be. Yet here was coach Schmidt feeling he had the unusual task of defending his team after a historic week in Heidenheim's history, which almost had an even better ending.