Viktoria Köln fought for a point in the pursuit duel on the 11th matchday of the 3rd league against Erzgebirge Aue. After the Auers turned the game around in the second half, Cologne equalized in stoppage time.
Viktoria and Erzgebirge Aue drew 2-2 (0-0) in the Cologne Sportpark Höhenberg on Saturday (October 14th, 2023). Luca Marseile gave Viktoria the lead shortly after the break (46′). Marvin Stefaniak (70th) and Tim Danhof (75th) turned the game in favor of the guests. Substitute André Becker equalized for Cologne in the 3rd minute of added time. By winning points, both teams remain within striking distance of the promotion places.
Bear doesn’t hit the empty goal
After just five minutes Viktoria should have fallen behind. Aue’s Marvin Stefaniak was able to cross from the right side unchallenged into the five-meter area. Viktoria goalkeeper Kevin Rauhut got his hands on the ball, but involuntarily placed it directly at Marcel Bär’s feet. But instead of simply pushing the ball into the empty goal, Bär shot the ball over the goal from five meters.
In the 21st minute, Viktoria was lucky again when Borys Tashchy hit the crossbar from eleven meters out.
The Cologne team struggled offensively and only had their first real chance in the 37th minute. Patrick Koronkiewicz played the ball into the path of Donny Bogićević, who shot over the goal from a half-right position. In stoppage time in the first half, Viktoria came dangerously into the Auer penalty area twice, but neither Jeremias Lorch nor Bogićević put Aue’s goalkeeper Martin Männel in trouble.
Marseiler shifts fastest
In the second half it only took 33 seconds before the ball was in the Auer goal. A shot from Bryan Henning was initially blocked, but the rebound landed at Marseiler’s feet. The Cologne player switched gears quickest of all the players and hit the bottom left corner with a powerful shot.
Cologne’s lead was quite surprising at this point, but Viktoria earned the lead in the next few minutes. Cologne now acted much faster and more determinedly than in the first half. Only two minutes after the 1-0, Bogićević should have made it 2-0, but pushed the ball past the goal from six meters (48th).
Stefaniak and Danhof turn the game around
In the middle of the second half, the guests managed to free themselves from Cologne’s pressure and took control of the game. And with success, as Stefaniak equalized in the 70th minute. Cologne’s Lorch hit a hole in the penalty area with the previous cross, allowing the ball to slip through to Stefaniak, who was able to push it in from five meters.
And things got even worse for Viktoria, because just four minutes later Erzgebirge Aue was leading. Danhof let Cologne’s Niklas Mai stand in the penalty area with a body deception and hit the far corner with a well-placed shot from the right corner of the penalty area (75′).
Becker scores the equalizer
Viktoria tried again to equalize in the final minutes and was rewarded in stoppage time. Marseiler extended a long ball from Lorch directly into the path of Becker, who had just been substituted. Becker remained calm in front of Männel and pushed the ball into the bottom left corner (90th + 3). Viktoria stayed on the trigger in the following minutes, but no shot was achieved.
For Viktoria it’s the 12th matchday 3rd league next Saturday (2 p.m.) with an away game at VfB Lübeck. Erzgebirge Aue welcomes SSV Ulm one day later (7:30 p.m.).
