- The draw in Elversberg: Cologne deflects a misstart
1. FC Köln narrowly avoids a poor start in the 2. Bundesliga, with Timo Hübers (84') securing a late equalizer in a 2:2 draw (1:0) against SV Elversberg. Denis Huseinbasic (21') put the Billy Goats ahead in front of 9,502 spectators at the Ursapharm Arena, but Fisnik Asllani (46') and Frederik Schmahl (62') turned the game in favor of the hosts from Saarland.
The Rhinelanders started strongly, pushing the hosts back into their own half from the outset, but clear chances were scarce. Linton Maina (15') missed the best opportunity, failing to beat SVE keeper Nicolas Kristof. Six minutes later, the Bundesliga relegated side took the lead at 1:0. After that, Cologne failed to capitalize further on their dominance.
The hosts opened the second half with a bang, with new signing Asllani scoring just a minute after coming on. Cologne was rattled, and the hosts' lead through Schmahl, who also came on as a substitute, left the favorites shell-shocked.
Adding to Cologne's woes, promising player Mark Uth had to leave the field injured after just five minutes. He had returned from injury in the 66th minute but went down without any contact from the opponent shortly after. Hübers rescued a point for the visitors in the end, which was the least they deserved.
Despite their early dominance, FC Köln missed several chances to increase their lead. Despite being rattled by the hosts' comeback, they managed to secure a late equalizer with The first, FC Köln's Timo Hübers scoring in the 84th minute.
