IIn the carnival jersey, 1. FC Köln set three negative records in its long Bundesliga history and was consequently shot at a relegation zone by Max Kruse. The Cologne team lost 1: 2 (1: 1) on the eighth match day against the greatly weakened surprise team of 1. FC Union Berlin and are now penultimate. The loud chants, which a handful of fans behind the south curve through a large, black loudspeaker box inside the stadium, were of no help either.
With 18 games in a row without a win, the FC set the club’s negative record from two seasons, 19 times in a row the Cologne team had only conceded a goal in 1974, ten home games without a win were only in the 2005/06 season. And next week FC have to go to Borussia Dortmund.
In contrast, the iron from Berlin continued their soaring unimpressed by major injury concerns and consolidated fifth place. The winning goal was curious. The previously ineffective Kruse missed a penalty in the 17th attempt for the first time in the Bundesliga and missed the sole Bundesliga record. But he sank the margin for the winning goal (72nd). Taiwo Awoniyi, on loan from English champions FC Liverpool and team manager Jürgen Klopp, had put Union in the lead with his first Bundesliga goal (27th). Ellyes Skhiri equalized in the meantime (36th). Union is four points behind leaders FC Bayern Munich.
The pressure on Cologne had already increased before the kick-off, because the Mainz 3-1 win in Freiburg had slipped FC to 17th place. And he almost fell behind early when Marcus Ingvartsen appeared free in front of Timo Horn after an apparently unsuccessful offside trap, but lifted the ball over the goal. Union had to do without established players like Christian Gentner, Joel Pohjanpalo, Keita Endo, Nico Schlotterbeck or Marius Bülter, and Sebastian Griesbeck had to go out injured after just under half an hour.
At this point in time, the guests, who only won both games against Cologne last year, were already leading through Awoniyi’s goal, who exploited a misunderstanding between Marius Wolf and Rafael Czichos. A diving header from Skhiri after a free kick by Ondrej Duda brought FC back into play before the break.
Even after the change, it remained a game on a manageable level. Significant for this: Both the battered former Unioner Sebastian Andersson in the storm center of Cologne, as well as Berlin’s last strong offensive strategist Kruse, in which FC also had loose interest before the season, were virtually not to be seen. But then Kruse became the match winner after all.
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