Weaknesses in corners, mistakes in building up the game – 1. FC Köln brought themselves down against Eintracht Frankfurt. Despite Jakub Kaminski’s lead (4th minute), the weak phase of the promoted team in the Bundesliga continues after the 3:4 (1:2) because Arthur Theate (39th) and Mahmoud Dahoud (45th + 6th) turned things around before half-time. Jonathan Burkardt then decided the game with a brace (60th/63rd). Marius Bülter (83rd) and Luca Waldschmidt (90th+3) ensured the final score.
Frankfurt remained undefeated in the Bundesliga for the fifth time in a row, picking up a strong eleven points and moving up to sixth place. This upward trend should continue next weekend against VfL Wolfsburg (Sunday, 5:30 p.m.), with a win even the Champions League ranks will be within sight again. Before that, the premier class against Atalanta Bergamo (Wednesday, 9 p.m.) is about important points in the fight for the knockout round.
“We knew that it would be a tough nut to crack against Cologne, not a normal promoted team. I think we played a really good away game and deserved to win. The boys did well. We have a different self-image when it comes to building up the game. The result is closer than it felt for a long time.”said Eintracht coach Dino Toppmöller to ARD.
Kwasniok: “Not everything was done right”
In Cologne, however, the situation is normalizing; after the outstanding start to the season and the euphoria that arose, Lukas Kwasniok’s team slipped to ninth place. Shooting star Said El Mala initially sat on the bench and was only substituted on in the 63rd minute, when the game was already decided – with him the comeback almost happened anyway.
“If you concede four goals, you haven’t done everything right. We gave the game away in ten minutes. It was one goal too many that we couldn’t correct“Kwasniok told ARD.
FC dream couple Ache and Kaminski strike again
The Cologne team got off to an absolute dream start. The offside flag initially prevented Kaminski from celebrating for a long time after he shot the ball into the empty goal to take the lead, but after the video check the players were allowed to celebrate with their fans – the goal counted (4th). The referee team had seen preparer Ragnar Ache offside, but the pictures made it clear that this was not the case.
For the third time this season, the Cologne duo turned the world upside down. Actually, Ache, who scored 18 goals in the 2nd league for 1. FC Kaiserslautern last season, was supposed to score the FC goals and Kaminski prepared them – now Ache had set up a goal for his colleague for the third time.
Corners against Cologne – always dangerous
Otherwise, Frankfurt was the better team and Cologne could thank Marvin Schwäbe for holding the lead for the time being. First the goalkeeper took Burkardt’s equalizer off his foot when Schwäbe was able to fend off a sharp cross with his fingertips before the Eintracht clipper (24′), then he strongly parried a header from Burkardt (30′).
Then Cologne’s great weakness became noticeable again. After a corner, Theate scored with the back of his head to make it 1-1 (39′), but it wasn’t just this fact that caused FC coach Kwasniok to be beside himself on the touchline. Because it was the fifth goal that his team conceded after a corner this season – no other Bundesliga team is that bad in these situations this season.
Dahoud puts Cologne back on the losing road in the evening
The standard situation only arose because Cologne made a serious mistake in building up the game – and the defense also made one before conceding the second goal. Sebastian Sebulonsen lost the ball, Schwäbe was only able to save it with a great effort against Fares Chaibi, but Dahoud was there for the follow-up shot – the turning point, 2-1 for Frankfurt deep into added time in the first half (45th + 6th).
The Cologne team had only gotten five points from the previous eight games and now the next defeat threatened. The Kwasniok team’s own mistakes cost them the lead and enabled Frankfurt to turn around the mood and result at the perfect time. It’s possible that one or two people in Cologne were thinking about the first three Saturday evening games of the season, all of which FC lost.
“We gave the ball away too quickly and we have to make sure we play smarter. We have to try to play more simply again”said Schwäbe.
Thielmann forgives, Burkardt transforms
Jan Thielmann could have changed that, but the finish on his big chance was far too weak to ensure Cologne’s equalizer; he shot the ball safely into the hands of SGE keeper Michael Zetterer (46th). Otherwise, Frankfurt was clearly the better team, put pressure on the third goal and looked superior in every respect.
And that was reflected in the result. Ritsu Doan was allowed to dribble and cross unchallenged on the right side, and in the middle Joel Schmid then took his eyes off Burkardt, who made it 3-1 in the best center forward style (60′). Given the course of the game and the balance of power, this already seemed to be a preliminary decision.
Bülter redeems himself – but too late for his team
If there were still any question marks behind the Frankfurt victory, Burkardt made things clear a few moments later. Cologne’s defense was once again not ready for the Bundesliga and allowed the Frankfurt striker to score a lightning brace (63′).
The game then petered out because Eintracht shifted down several gears to save energy for the coming English weeks. And that enabled Cologne to make the result a little more conciliatory, Bülter shortened the score again and at least ended his personal dry spell (83′). The striker scored on the first two matchdays and hasn’t scored since.
But: In the 87th minute, Bülter missed the great chance to score and the opportunity to come close to winning a point. El Mala also hit the post in the second minute of added time. The final offensive came too late, even though Waldschmidt made it 3-4 (90+3), and did not bring the desired success – which should be the case next Saturday when Cologne visits Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga (3:30 p.m.).