In a game that was balanced for a long time, SV Werder Bremen had the better end on their side. The people of Cologne, on the other hand, are standing still.
1. FC Cologne has suffered a setback in its tough mission to stay in the league and is in danger of losing touch with the non-relegation places after a defeat in the anniversary game against Werder Bremen. In the 100th Bundesliga duel between the two traditional teams, FC lost 0-1 (0-0) and remains in the relegation place with 16 points. The previously placed competitors Union Berlin and VfL Bochum could pull away as the 22nd matchday progresses.
Justin Njinmah (70th) inflicted Cologne’s second defeat under coach Timo Schultz. The FC defended itself, but was not rewarded for a final offensive. Bremen can even quietly dream of Europe after their fourth win from the last five games. It was also Bremen’s third consecutive away win to nil since 1981 – a historic event.
Procedure and tough game
The start of the game was promising: Bremen’s national player Marvin Ducksch scored twice in the first minute, but initially missed and a little later shot the ball into the arms of Cologne goalkeeper Marvin Schwäbe. But this early double chance remained the only highlight for a long time.
The duel was disjointed and tough – Cologne managed to keep Bremen away from their own goal, but initially remained completely harmless going forward. The game was characterized by many duels in front of 50,000 spectators in the sold-out Cologne stadium. The only player who stood out at FC in terms of play was Max Finkgräfe, who was only 19 years old. But the young left-back also repeatedly lost the ball.
It took a good half hour before FC caused danger for the first time: Captain Florian Kainz (31′) didn’t hit the ball properly after a counterattack, then Jan Thielmann (33′) shot just over Bremen’s Michael Zetterer’s goal. The Werder goalkeeper had no problems with Dejan Ljubicic’s finish (35′).
Tennis balls and remote control cars
The game remained hectic and error-filled in the second half. Both teams struggled, but often played inexplicable passes into the opponents’ feet. There were no chances at first – but there was a short interruption. FC fans threw tennis balls onto the field and drove remote-controlled cars across the lawn (read more about this here). In alternation with the Bremen fans, they also sang insults against the German Football League (DFL). Fan protests have been directed against their plans to find an investor for weeks and in stadiums all over Germany.
When Bremen scored the opening goal, the FC defense looked poor. Cologne goalkeeper Marvin Schwäbe jumped past the ball and substitute Njinmah had no trouble from a few meters.