Bundeliga reegation: 1. FC Köln saves itself in a crazy relegation final

Kiel missed the rise
What was happening there? 1. FC Köln saves itself in a crazy relegation final

by Daniel Bakir

May 29, 2021, 8:12 pm

One of the most important Rhenish proverbs is: “Et would still have jot jejange.” However, fewer and fewer fans had recently believed that 1. FC Köln would go well again this season. But in the all-important relegation second leg against Holstein Kiel, the billy goats shot goal after goal and still held their class. Even in a furious initial phase, they set the course for a 5-1 victory.

34 tough match days, the “Effzeh” had previously tormented itself through this fanless and joyless Corona season. Only a late goal on the last match day against non-competitive Schalke players had given them the opportunity to keep the class via relegation. The first leg against Kiel was lost 0: 1 in a game with little chance.

Four goals in twelve minutes

And then that: after just two minutes, captain Jonas Hector sank the ball into the Kiel goal for the first time. A few seconds later, Kiel’s Jae-Sung Lee replied with the equalizer. But then it was Cologne’s turn again. Sebastian Andersson, who has meanwhile been labeled a sports invalid because of his injured knee, scored twice – after 13 minutes it was 3: 1. When the central defender Rafael Czichos, who is not exactly known for dream goals, scored an equal one before the break, the game was almost decided.

Shortly before the end, Ellyes Skhiri also scored to make it 5-1, so FC coach Friedhelm Funkel was able to relax and think about his return to retirement. He had interrupted this especially for the mission to stay up – and due to the lack of leisure time alternatives in the Corona year – for a few games on the sidelines. After the relegations of Werder Bremen and Schalke 04, the third endangered traditional club is spared the move to League 2 this season.

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Kiel misses out on history

The Kiel, on the other hand, who even played in front of fans in the last home game, ended a strong season with a bitter disappointment. Although the team had to be quarantined twice due to corona cases – and in the end had a game plan packed full of catch-up games – the first promotion in the club’s history is missed by a very close margin. With a victory on one of the last two regular game days, the storks could even have made clear the direct rise. But they lost both times – and in the end they probably ran out of air against Cologne.

The second division team had also marched into the semi-finals in the cup, even knocking Bayern out before they failed at the eventual winner Borussia Dortmund. After all: Kiel will not have to do without sonorous opponents in the coming season. In the second division they will meet Schalke 04, Werder Bremen, Hamburger SV and St. Pauli, among others.