Matchday 13 - Victory in Darmstadt: Cologne leaves the relegation places
Davie Selke has fired 1. FC Köln to their second win of the season in the Bundesliga and into a non-relegation place, at least overnight. The striker scored in the 60th minute on Friday evening to make it 1:0 (0:0) in the basement duel with promoted SV Darmstadt 98, who suffered their fourth home defeat.
Thanks to the better goal difference, Cologne moved up nine points ahead of their rivals in 15th place, with Champions League contenders 1. FC Union Berlin (7), who have to play FC Bayern Munich on Saturday.
Right from the kick-off, the match was competitive in front of 17,810 spectators, with both teams showing deficits in their play. Long and high was mostly the motto, which proved to be of little use. Chances were in short supply on both sides.
After a good 20 minutes, Darmstadt's Marvin Mehlem had to leave the pitch with an ankle injury. The previously agile attacker had been fouled by Florian Kainz shortly beforehand. Veteran Tobias Kempe came on for Mehlem.
Nothing went forward for the Hessians now. But FC, who had significantly more possession, also struggled and remained harmless in attack. As a result, neither goalkeeper had to make a single save in the first half as neither team managed to get a shot on target.
There was only a brief moment of excitement when Cologne's Luca Kilian went down in the Darmstadt penalty area and the visitors demanded a penalty. However, referee Patrick Ittrich rightly allowed play to continue.
Corner kick causes jubilation
It remained a tough battle of attrition after the changeover, with the home side now acting with a little more determination and creating their first opportunity. Tim Skarke's shot just missed the FC goal.
At the other end, Dejan Ljubicic had the visitors in front but failed to beat Lilies goalkeeper Marcel Schuhen from an acute angle. Shortly afterwards, however, Cologne were celebrating: A corner kick from Luca Waldschmidt was unfortunately headed over by Darmstadt's Mathias Honsak at the feet of Selke, who finished effortlessly from five meters.
Just six minutes later, Waldschmidt made it 2:0 for Cologne. However, the goal was annulled after video evidence because it had previously been ruled offside. Shortly afterwards, the video assistant intervened again after Ittrich had awarded a penalty for the home side. After viewing the TV images, the referee revised his decision.
Lilies coach Torsten Lieberknecht brought on fresh players in the closing stages, but the visitors continued to have the better chances. Waldschmidt and substitute Max Finkgräfe both failed to beat Schuhen shortly before the end.
Lesen Sie auch:
- Olympic Games still possible: DFB team impresses against Denmark
- Victory in Darmstadt: Cologne leaves the relegation places
- Despite Davie Selke's goal, 1. FC Union Berlin still holds a seven-point advantage over Cologne in the Bundesliga, as they prepare to face champions FC Bayern Munich.
- Cologne's victory in Darmstadt moved them up from the relegation zone, temporarily placing them above the struggling FC Union Berlin.
- In North Rhine-Westphalia, Cologne's victory over promoted SV Darmstadt 98 served as a crucial stepping stone in their quest to avoid relegation in the Bundesliga soccer league.
- Darmstadt, the team from Hesse, suffered their fourth home defeat after failing to capitalize on their chances against Cologne during the basement duel.
- In the fiercely competitive match between Cologne and Darmstadt, both teams demonstrated flaws in their play, resulting in an evenly contested first half with no goal chances.
- Luca Kilian's fall in the Darmstadt penalty area sparked a brief controversy, with Cologne claiming a penalty, but referee Patrick Ittrich ruled in favor of the home team.
- The hapless Hessians continued to falter after the halftime break, allowing the visitors to gain a foothold in the game and create their first prospective opportunity.
- After Tim Skarke's shot narrowly missed the FC goal, Davie Selke pounced on an error caused by a Mathias Honsak header to score within five meters, ultimately securing a 1:0 victory for Cologne.
- Former Darmstadt attacker Luca Waldschmidt nearly doubled Cologne's lead shortly after Selke's goal, but the offside flag did not halt their onslaught, as they remained in contention for a Season win against Darmstadt.
Source: www.stern.de
