1. FC Köln has come a big step closer to remaining in the Bundesliga and has increased TSG 1899 Hoffenheim’s concerns about relegation again.
After 13 unsuccessful attempts, the Rhinelanders celebrated a deserved 3-1 (2-0) win against their rivals for the first time since 2015 and now have 35 points, a decent cushion on the relegation places. Hoffenheim, on the other hand, is still stuck in the bottom of the table with 29 points.
In front of 30,150 spectators in the sold-out arena in Sinsheim, Florian Kainz scored a hand penalty in the 18th minute, Davie Selke (39th) and Jan Thielmann (90th 2) scored the goals for the Cologne team, who are now unbeaten in four games. Kasper Dolberg scored for Hoffenheim (90.4).
The party started with a curious Bundesliga premiere. Because Benjamin Brand, who was originally intended to be the referee, was absent due to an allergic reaction, Robin Braun made his first appearance in the football league.
The 27-year-old referee from Wuppertal, who was actually intended to be the fourth official, immediately became the focus of attention after a good quarter of an hour. After TSG defender Anthony Brooks deflected a cross from Linton Maina with his hand in his own penalty area, Braun decided on a penalty based on the video images.
TSG only there in the second half – Cologne put the lid on
Kainz dryly converted the deserved lead for the guests, who were better in the game from the start. The hosts acted erratically and unimaginative, although they had actually gained a lot of self-confidence with the last four games without defeat, including the most recent 1-1 at record champions Bayern Munich.
However, there was no sign of that in the first half. FC controlled the action and didn’t give the Kraichgauers a single chance to score until the break. In addition, the protégés of trainer Steffen Baumgart proved to be extremely efficient. After Selke (32nd) failed with a header to TSG goalkeeper Oliver Baumann, it worked better on the second attempt – again with a header.
After the change, Hoffenheim came out of the dressing room as if transformed and now put more pressure on the Cologne team. FC goalkeeper Marvin Schwäbe had to stretch for the first time when Angeliño shot (47′). Andrej Kramaric (57th) and Christoph Baumgartner (61st) did not put the ball in the net either.
In the middle of the second half, the guests were able to free themselves from the grip and set accents themselves again. However, substitute Steffen Tigges (74th) missed the great opportunity to make it 3-0. Hoffenheim threw everything forward again in the final phase, but the turnaround was no longer successful.
