worried about Maina
1. FC Köln has secured the best possible starting position for next week’s preliminary round with the resumption of the canceled Conference League game in the Czech Republic. In return, the Bundesliga club received a rejection of their application to postpone the following Bundesliga game on Sunday against Hoffenheim to a later date.
The game between FC and TSG will therefore take place as planned on Sunday (7:30 p.m./“Dazn”). “A lot of people tried to get the game moved. But it won’t. We’ll see when the game is over whether it will be a disadvantage that we play again on Sunday,” said Cologne coach Steffen Baumgart after his team’s 1-0 win in the Conference League at 1. FC Slovacko on Friday Czech Republic.
Note: The first version of this article appeared after the final whistle of the Cologne game in the Czech Republic and was updated after Baumgart’s statements.
1. FC Köln in Conference League with a good starting position in the preliminary round final
On Friday afternoon, a penalty goal by substitute Ondrej Duda (82nd minute) led to FC’s important 1-0 (0-0) win at Slovacko. Florian Kainz had previously missed a penalty kick (51st). On Thursday evening, the game was stopped after seven minutes due to thick fog. Linton Maina, who had to leave the field injured, was a concern on Friday.
Next Thursday, coach Steffen Baumgart’s team will play against OGC Nice for progress. Slovacko, on the other hand, failed early. After five matchdays, Cologne are in third place with seven points behind Nice and Partizan Belgrade (both 8). The first in the group goes straight to the round of 16. The second plays in an upstream knockout round against one of the eight Europa League relegated teams.
The game, which was canceled on Thursday due to heavy fog, started again on Friday afternoon under normal conditions with a throw-in from Cologne in the seventh minute. More than 1000 FC supporters were there again on Friday. “Yesterday we were amazed at how many FC fans found their way here, even though we didn’t sell any tickets. The fact that they are here again today is anything but a matter of course,” said Cologne sports director Christian Keller on “RTL +”.
Lineups and Co.: Cologne’s game at Slovacko in detail
Baumgart on cancellations and deadline stress: “Soon I’ll have to ask the A-Youth”
Because of the riots at Cologne’s first away game of this Conference League season in Nice on September 8, the Cologne team was not allowed to sell any tickets themselves. However, apparently some supporters had already secured tickets for the game in the city of Uherské Hradiště before the game in Nice or had gotten tickets in other ways. They saw a Cologne team that only had better chances to score after the half-time whistle at an unusual time.
Before the change of sides, the better team from the Rhineland had hardly created any chances. Kainz then carelessly missed the great opportunity to take the lead five minutes after the change. The Austrian shot a weak penalty kick into the arms of Czech keeper Filip Nguyen. Substitute Duda (77′) initially missed another good opportunity before clinching victory five minutes later.
A lot of people have tried to get the game moved. But it won’t be,” “Some clever people decided at some point that it was enough if there were 48 hours between two games,” said FC coach Steffen Baumgart, visibly pissed off shortly before leaving on Friday. In this specific case, it is now even more than 54 hours. Nevertheless, the people of Cologne are now walking on their gums. “We’ll see who the freshest guys are on Sunday,” said Baumgart. “Soon I’ll have to ask the A youth team to get one or two more players. Because it’s getting tight in terms of personnel.” On Thursday evening, after the game at Slovacko had been stopped after seven minutes due to thick fog, Baumgart had sent the battered Jonas Hector and Mark Uth back to Cologne so that they could regenerate better.
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