The 1. FC Köln has the potential to dominate the 2nd Bundesliga. Instead, he always shows strange appearances like on Sunday in the emotional derby against Düsseldorf (1: 1). Is that enough for the climb?
In the sixth minute of stoppage time, many long -established fans of the 1st FC Köln tore in the stands of the patience.
Substitute Luca Waldschmidt had just nailed a volley shot across the goal meter and thus miserable the last chance to win against Fortuna Düsseldorf. It whispered in the stadium, hands hit in front of the face. That’s it. Puzzle rates: what is it like?
While shortly after the final whistle the accompanied (and not stuck and not caught by the police), Fortuna supporters celebrated loudly, there was a strange mood over the Cologne stands. The team was welcomed in the south curve with behavioral applause. Noticeable disillusionment instead of carnival boost.
At FC on the lawn it was boiling. Coach Gerhard Struber had a lot of discussion with referee Michael Bacher. It was about a scene immediately before the fateful handball of the Cologne, which led to the late penalty.
“I had feedback for the referee,” said Struber at the press conference. Defender Dominique Heintz was – as in the cup hit against Leverkusen – still fully to 180. In the catacombs, he fought a loud word battle with opposing players, and was dragged on his own cabin.
Where does the 1. FC Köln stand?
Now the 1. FC Köln is an emotional club. He consumes that. And it was definitely an emotional Sunday. Bundestag election, sunshine, the Sunday immediately before starting in the wild street carnival – and then also home game against the rival from the Rhine: Fortuna Düsseldorf. Alaaf against Helau. The match day attackers had fun.
And it should not only be emotional, but also groundbreaking. Because with a victory, the Effzeh local rival Fortuna wanted to distance them on six points and cement its own table lead. So the plan.
It turned out differently. Due to the late equalizer with a penalty, the FC slides in second place in the table behind the HSV. With two or three points, Kaiserslautern, Magdeburg, Düsseldorf and Paderborn lurk. It is cozy at the top.
You didn’t become smarter from the 1st FC Köln after this Sunday. The game on Sunday reminded a bit of the entire Cologne season. Not fish – not meat. A roller coaster ride.
In front of the eyes of club icons Lukas Podolski (fired his ex-team in the Ultraplock), the Cologne team were in a significantly better way to in the game over many routes-without really unpacking hurray football. Linton Maina (18th) and Dejan Ljubicic (23rd) had the lead on the foot in the first half. It then got ex-captain Florian Kainz in the 67th minute. “Dat Trömmelche” went through the stadium. Actually, everything was designed for a red and white carnival derby party.
Biederene ten minutes FC cost the victory
But instead of scoring the 2-0 and finally falling up the celebration week in the cathedral city, the host was inhibited. There were ten strange minutes. The Struber-Elf withdrew, let Fortuna come, who had so far had hardly any noticeable degrees.
The result: First the aluminum saved the Cologne, but then it became really strange. On a Fortuna flank, winter access Joel Schmied pushed out his arm unnatural. Commercial. Isak Johannesson safely converted. The last FC rumbling campaigns are shook pitifully. Murmur. Hands. What does it have?
Somehow the FC remains a riddle of the 2nd Bundesliga under coach Struber. A team with a mix of seasoned professionals who gained a lot of first division experience and promising talents. A team that is officially in the target, i.e. stands in the promotion ranks, but still has a lot of room for improvement and, above all, shows little emotional and rousing football.
In the first games of the season, Struber’s team delivered spectacle football, but suddenly stuck in tenth place after ten games. After the bankruptcy against Darmstadt and Paderborn (1: 5 and 1: 2), the alarm bells were shrilling at the cathedral. Then the Austrian changed the system: from four to three chains, and from then on he rely on veteran Marvin Schwäbe instead of Talent Jonas Urbig in the goal. The 21-year-old switched to Bayern in winter.
Suddenly at the top with a new system
See there: the adaptation was fruitful. The Effzeh started to catch up. With controlled offensive, the club pushed back to the top. At the back the zero, efficiently as a top team at the front. Above all, the young attackers Tim Lemperle (currently injured) and Damion Downs (against Fortuna only replaced two in half -time) and got the FC on track. The favorite was enthroned by the top, became winter champion, the fans sang the “world champion Vum Rhing”. In the trophy, the team was only less of a minute of added time from the sensation against Doubles winner Leverkusen.
And that with pure result football. FC 1: 0 won seven times. However, the games and results did not trigger great euphoria. “It doesn’t look sexy,” admitted Struber himself. Upswing with minimalism.
In the new year, however, the swing noticeably decreased. Less goals, fewer degrees, less chances: FC increasingly mutated into a harmless offensive team.
To make matters worse, the results have now also received a dent. Last week, the team received a bitter 0: 3 clap at 1. FC Magdeburg. The bitter 1-1 against the neighbor from Düsseldorf followed on Sunday. For the first time since the Darmstadt/Paderborn setback in autumn, the club remains two games in a row without a win. This is not yet a clear slip, but the situation becomes more difficult and sensitive. In Cologne, the mood is volatile like the Kölsch level in the corner pub.
Struber described the two lost points against Düsseldorf as “really bitter”. The scene for the 911 was a “blackout moment”. In general, the final phase would have had to be better “defendable”. “It really hurts,” said the 48-year-old.
So where does the journey of the favorite promotion go?
FC captain: “We are full in the race”
“It is a better starting situation than 17 match days. We stood a few places further back,” recalled captain Timo Hübers. “If someone had told us that half a year ago, we would have signed it immediately.” However, the team is well aware that we “have a little bit of it”. So you missed building a cushion.
But: “We are in the race. We are in a place with which many would like to exchange.”
The ascent is almost a must: with the squad put together by sports director Christian Keller, the ascent is actually mandatory. In addition, many contracts from top performers expire in 2025 or 2026. Means: If a sporting perspective lacks, it would also be more difficult to keep the stars. For example, the first discussions about a contract extension with Youngster Downs are currently underway.
The return to the Bundesliga is the clear goal. The team still has eleven games. From the top field, the billy goats still meet Paderborn and the FCK. On the last day of the match between FC and Kaiserslautern, the promotion showdown could occur in Cologne. Everything boils down to a real promotion thriller in the final sprint of the 2nd league.
But now the Cologne Carnival really takes a week. Incidentally, the session motto 2025 is “Fastelovend – when drumming Aries Blöhe”. Love and flowering dreams. Also fits perfectly with the 1. FC Köln. No matter in which league.