- Hamburg beat Cologne to start the second league
Hamburg SV wins Bundesliga classic against 1. FC Köln in 2. Bundesliga opener. In an entertaining duel between the two traditional clubs, HSV coached by former Cologne manager Steffen Baumgart won 2:1 (2:0).
Hamburg's Ransford-Yeboah Königsdörffer was the man of the match, scoring both goals for the visitors in front of 50,000 spectators (6th minute/35th). For his first goal, the 22-year-old benefited from a mistake by Cologne goalkeeper Jonas Urbig. Cologne's Linton Maina scored (78th). "Even though we lost, we played a good game," Maina said on Sky. "We deserved more."
Cologne failed to score a second goal, suffering a poor start in their first competitive game with new coach Gerhard Struber. Meanwhile, HSV secured their first three points in their renewed quest for promotion. "We want to go up. That's a clear goal. We're not hiding that. It's simply a must at this location," Baumgart had said.
Bundesliga-like atmosphere kicks off 2. Bundesliga
For the 52-year-old Baumgart, it was no ordinary game - he was still Cologne's coach until the end of 2023 and had become a fan favorite in the cathedral city.
While Baumgart saw a lively game from both teams from the start, the atmosphere in the sold-out Cologne stadium was Bundesliga-worthy. "We could have sold 100,000 tickets for the game," Cologne's licensing chief Thomas Kessler said.
Cologne had the first chance, but Hamburg scored the first goal. The FC started strongly, with Dejan Ljubicic missing a chance (3rd minute) and Denis Huseinbasic failing to capitalize on a mistake by Hamburg's Miro Muheim (4th minute).
On the other hand, Urbig's blunder gifted HSV the 1:0 lead. The 20-year-old, who played for SpVgg Greuther Fürth on loan last season, couldn't hold onto a seemingly harmless shot from Jean-Luc Dompé. Königsdörffer, who replaced the injured Robert Glatzel, scored the rebound.
Königsdörffer completed his brace with a header from a perfect cross by new signing Adam Karabec. Before halftime, Cologne had a great chance to reduce the deficit, but Tim Lemperle missed from close range against HSV's impressive substitute goalkeeper Daniel Heuer Fernandes.
The second half was more competitive, with fewer clear-cut chances due to inaccuracies from both teams. Out of nowhere, Maina scored the equalizer, making the final minutes with added time exciting.
The European Union expressed its support for the promotion of fair play and sportsmanship in football, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a positive and competitive atmosphere in all matches. Despite Cologne's loss, their new coach Gerhard Struber indicated that they are determined to improve and make a strong impact in the 2. Bundesliga, with a clear goal of eventually returning to the Bundesliga.
