TDespite a goal by Timo Werner on his comeback, cup winners RB Leipzig were not able to win their first win in the second Bundesliga game of the season. The Saxons had to settle for a performance-based 2-2 (1-1) against 1. FC Köln on Saturday. Werner put RB ahead after 37 minutes. Florian Dietz (40th) equalized in front of 43,579 spectators before the break.
Leipzig had to play the entire second half outnumbered after Dominik Szoboszlai (45+1) saw the red card for assaulting Florian Kainz. Although RB took the lead again through Christopher Nkunku (56th), substitute Leipzig Josko Gvardiol scored an own goal in the 72nd minute to make the final score. “It was a couple of strokes of fate for us. We had to take a lot today,” said RB coach Tedesco later. “But I think many teams would have lost the game today.”
Tedesco had ordered Werner into the starting XI just four days after his commitment. However, the 26-year-old still noticed that he lacked the connection to his team-mates and a good portion of match practice. Nevertheless, he immediately enriched the RB game with his speed. Werner’s comeback was over after 67 minutes, André Silva came in for him.
The Cologne did not hide and offered the Saxons defy. They initially had problems with the offensive style of play before they got going. In the 9th minute they supposedly took the lead through Dani Olmo, but a handball by David Raum in front of the goal was noticed in the Cologne basement. The hit didn’t count. Nkunku, who was named Germany’s footballer of the year before the game, was also not allowed to celebrate after putting the ball in the box. He was clearly offside when played.
After the lead that Werner had achieved with the help of Cologne keeper Marvin Schwäbe, Nkunku should have scored the second goal. But this time, Schwäbe reacted brilliantly and initiated the equalizer. The ball came to Kainz via Dejan Ljubicic, who played low to the far post, where the hapless Hugo Novoa slipped past and Dietz only had to put his foot down. It was a deserved goal after both teams had neutralized each other for long stretches by then.
Immediately before the break, referee Benjamin Brand was the center of attention again. After Kainz Szoboszlai had saved, the Hungarian tore himself away with his arm stretched out and hit Cologne’s neck. The dismissal was a discretionary decision.
Tedesco reacted to the sending off, bringing in two defensive players in Gvardiol and Kevin Kampl for Marcel Halstenberg and Novoa. The Cologne team took over the initiative with one man more and promptly ran into an RB counterattack. Olmo served Nkunku, who shook off his pursuers and expertly shot in. After that, the guests became even more dominant. Again and again they combined in and into the Leipzig penalty area, but did not find the decisive gap. So a standard had to help. Gvardiol unhappily sent a Kainz corner into his own goal. Even after that, FC was closer to the third goal, but it didn’t work anymore.
