Cup madness at 1. FC Köln
At first, Kwasniok does not cheer, then all dams break
17.08.2025 – 8:18 p.m.Reading time: 3 min.
The 1st FC Köln has averted a cup embarrassment at the third division club SSV Jahn Regensburg at the last second. In the last moments of stoppage time, madness took its course.
The Regensburg triple-out for the 1. FC Köln in the DFB Cup would almost have been perfect. In the 2020/2021 season, the Cologne native, as well as in 2022/2023, had left the Upper Palatinate after penalty shootouts. And even on the third attempt on Sunday, the Bundesliga climber was 0: 1 behind until the sixth minute of stoppage time. The new embarrassment with the third division team – and the false start into the new season would have been perfect.
Then, however, the hour of the substitute Ragnar Ache: First, the attacker covered a flank from Isak Johannesson on Eric Martel, who hit the compensation. Then Ache headed a flank of the Kristoffer Lund, who was also a joker, on Johannesson, who did the combination of three newcomers to the summer less than 100 seconds after the equalization and still scored the winning goal for FC.
The emotions before and in the guest block exploded. During the 90 minutes earlier, the approximately 4,000 FC fans traveled had transformed the Jahnstadion into a home game. Even the experienced Ron-Robert Zieler no longer kept it in his goal after the 2-1. The 2014 world champion sprinted throughout the place and cheered with his colleagues in front of the north stand.
“I don’t usually do this, but today I managed to sprint the 100 meters to celebrate with the boys,” said the new vice-captain and Cologne cup goalkeeper, who can also look forward to another game between the posts, while Marvin Schwäbe is number one in the league. “It was very emotional, no question,” added Zieler, but also admitted that the victory was “a bit happy” in the end.
Whether happy or not, martel didn’t care in the end. “I am glad that we are one round,” said the scorer to 1-1. “With such cup games, you have to believe until the last second, even if not everything has stuck in the 90 minutes before.” In the meantime, in his goal, “nothing else came up with him than just shooting.”
Winning goal scorer Johannesson, who switched from rival Fortuna Düsseldorf to FC in the summer, did not want to focus on his debut goal for FC himself so much. “All credits go to the team,” said the Icelander. “We have an incredible faith within the team. I am very proud of the team today.” How much the 22-year-old meant his goal, however, was clearly recognizable by his emotional jubilee.