1. FC Köln climbed up the table of the 2nd Bundesliga after a win at SSV Jahn Regensburg. Now they are only two points behind league leaders SC Paderborn and one point behind their two equal-point pursuers 1. FC Kaiserslautern and Hannover 96.
Cologne’s 1-0 (1-0) win over the bottom of the table was as close as it deserved, although the gap to the relegation zone is still only four points. Tim Lemperle scored the decisive goal in the 33rd minute in a well-filled but far from sold-out Jahnstadion.
Gerhard Struber’s team got 13 points from the last five games. SSV Jahn under Andreas Patz, on the other hand, only earned one point from the last four games and did not score a goal.
“Special pitch conditions, the opponent was very challenging. It was the difficult game that was expected, they threw everything into it”said Cologne coach Gerhard Struber at the Sportschau microphone.
Tim Lemperle was immediately injured after being hit
Lemperle didn’t celebrate, even though he had just scored a goal. Not that the striker ever played for Jahn and therefore didn’t celebrate. No, he was simply injured when he shot, which made it 1-0 and thus three points for 1. FC Köln on Sunday (December 8th, 2024).
Cologne’s Ljubicic misses a penalty
The eighth goal of the season probably cost Lemperle a strain. Meanwhile, the Cologne fans cheered even louder as the goalscorer limped off the pitch. Because they were extremely relieved about the opening goal, for which they had legitimate hopes 14 minutes earlier.
But Dejan Ljubicic missed a hand penalty that referee Konrad Oldhafer had awarded after viewing the controversial scene on the monitor. A tough decision, because Dominique Heintz headed the ball into Louis Breunig’s arm from very close range.
Regensburg also has chances
Four days earlier, Ljubicic was the celebrated player who shot Cologne into the quarter-finals of the DFB Cup against Hertha BSC with a converted penalty kick in stoppage time in the second half of extra time. In Regensburg, Jahn’s goalkeeper Felix Gebhardt made a brilliant save as his team had no chance and were eliminated 3-0 against VfB Stuttgart.
Unlike against the Bundesliga club, this time Jahn took dangerous offensive actions. Robin Ziegele even had the chance to head the ball from four meters without any pressure. But the ball landed in the arms of Marvin Schwäbe, who has been in the Cologne goal again since the eleventh matchday, the 1-0 victory in the championship at Hertha BSC.
Jahn with more possession of the ball, but harmless
The FC then won two more games without conceding a goal before having to settle for a 2-2 draw against Hannover 96. On Sunday in Regensburg he was also in danger of losing points in the second half.
Jahn had a significantly greater share of possession of the ball than in the first half. He also came in front of Schwäbe’s goal more often. But the offensive once again remained harmless. Regensburg has now only scored five goals in 15 games.
Regensburg in Karlsruhe, Cologne against Nuremberg
SSV Jahn will be guests at Karlsruher SC next week (December 13th, 6:30 p.m.). Cologne has a home game against 1. FC Nürnberg (December 15th, 1:30 p.m.).