Bundesliga on Friday
Dream solo-Cologne extends Hoffenheim’s home-misere
Updated on 03.10.2025 – 10:35 p.m.Reading time: 2 min.
A fine individual campaign gives the promoted the third win of the season in the upper house. The TSG, on the other hand, simply cannot take off your home complex.
Seilers 1. FC Köln found the road to success after two defeats in the Bundesliga. The Rhinelanders won 1-0 at TSG Hoffenheim on Friday at the start of the 8th match day. This temporarily pushed itself into fourth place.
Said El Mala scored the goal of the evening in his starting eleven debut after a great solo in the 16th minute. For the hosts, on the other hand, the home miser continues. It was already the third defeat at home in a row. The TSG landed the last victory in front of their own audience almost half a year ago.
In the beginning of the game, Tim Lemperle, who switched from Cologne to TSG, determined the headlines. The striker, who had been instrumental in the Cologne promotion with ten goals and six templates in the past season, had caused unrest in the final phase with the “party boat affair”. “I thought of the game all week and looked forward to seeing the old buddies again,” said the 23-year-old shortly before kick-off at Sky: “It was a special time with many beautiful memories.”
The 30,150 spectators in the sold-out Sinsheimer Arena, about half of them FC fans, saw the first big chance for the hosts in the 6th minute. Muhammed Damar failed on Swabia. On the other hand, Isak Johannesson left an excellent free kick (12th).
Shortly afterwards, the guests who had to make do without the ex-Hoffenheim Marius Bülter still took the lead. U21 international El Mala completed a counterattack with a strong solo. It was the second goal of the native Krefeld.
The Hoffenheimers, where Valentin Gendrey, Ozan Kabak and Koki Machida were missing, were hardly shocked. After a pleasing combination, Bazoumana Touré had the equalizer on his foot, Swabia kept strong again (23rd).
Then the game continued intensively. Referee Felix Zwayer (Berlin) rightly took back a penalty imposed against Cologne shortly before the break (43.). In the stoppage time of the first half, Schwäbe kept great for the third time, this time against Fisnik Asllani (45.+2).
At the beginning of the second round it was Touré again that gave a good opportunity (51st). The TSG then increased the pressure, Cologne was briefly pushed onto the defensive. Nevertheless, it was El Mala who checked the Hoffenheim national goalkeeper Oliver Baumann (63.).
That was the prelude to a strong phase of the guests. Two minutes later, Jakub Kaminski missed the chance of the second goal on a counterattack, the Pole failed two more times on Baumann (68., 88.). El Mala was replaced in the 71st minute, Swabia recorded the victory.