Cologne misses out on victory and remains in the basement of the table
1. FC Köln has missed the chance to escape the relegation battle in the Bundesliga and has slipped to the bottom of the table. Coach Steffen Baumgart's team had to settle for a 1:1 (1:1) draw against FC Augsburg.
Although the situation is uncomfortable for Baumgart after just one win this season, the Cologne cult coach is not expected to leave the club. Augsburg remained undefeated for the third game in a row under new coach Jess Thorup and remain in mid-table. In front of 49,300 spectators at the RheinEnergieStadion, Linton Maina (16th minute) scored the opening goal, Phillip Tietz scored for the visitors.
Baumgart makes four changes
Baumgart had confirmed his announcement of a number of changes to the starting eleven with four changes. In addition to the two new full-backs Rasmus Carstensen and Dominique Heintz, Mark Uth and Steffen Tigges also slipped into the starting eleven. "With Augsburg and Bochum, we now have two opponents against whom it's all about picking up points. It has to be clear that we want to do that with all our might," demanded Baumgart and changed two more positions in his team accordingly.
The team seemed to have understood the message. Cologne took the initiative right from the start and created the first chance through the strong Luca Waldschmidt (7'). Mark Uth's return to the starting eleven after almost 18 months also helped Cologne's play. The 32-year-old played his 50th game for the Rhinelanders.
Ten minutes after his first chance, Waldschmidt stepped up as the provider and opened up the chance for Maina to put Cologne 1-0 ahead. It was the 24-year-old's first goal in seven months. His last goal was also against Augsburg.
Equalizer gives visitors security
New FCA coach Jess Thorup relied on his successful team from the last two matches. Only Maximilian Bauer moved into the starting line-up for the suspended Felix Uduokhai. With their first successful attack, the patient visitors managed to equalize through Tietz, who scored after beautiful preparatory work on the right by Robert Gumny. The equalizer gave the visitors security and confidence for further offensive actions. Midfielder Niklas Dorsch was unlucky to hit the crossbar with a free-kick before the break (41').
But Cologne also remained dangerous. Uth and Waldschmidt harmonized well in attack and repeatedly created tricky situations in front of the Augsburg goal. Waldschmidt had the best opportunity in the 53rd minute, but failed to beat Augsburg keeper Finn Dahmen. Despite improved play and more attacking actions, the hosts were unable to secure a much-needed home win and were lucky that Ruben Vargas (78) only hit the inside of the post.
Despite the draw, 1st FC Cologne's struggle to avoid relegation continues in the Bundesliga, as they remain at the bottom of the table. Meanwhile, FC Augsburg managed to stay undefeated for the third game in a row, with Phillip Tietz scoring the equalizer against Cologne's Linton Maina, who had opened the scoring.
Source: www.dpa.com
