1. FC Köln: Broken series, missed record
Celebrations over Anthony Modeste’s 20th goal of the season. (Photo: IMAGO / Hübner)
For the first time this season, 1. FC Köln lost two games in a row. Both Anthony Modeste and the team themselves missed a record. Nevertheless, after 34 match days, even after the bankruptcy in Stuttgart, the important knowledge about the new FC prevails.
Sonja Eich and Marc L. Merten report from Stuttgart
history of the game
It was an afternoon in the Mercedes-Benz Arena that no football romantic could describe better. In bright sunshine, more than 6,000 enthusiastic and Europe-euphoric fans traveled from Cologne. And at VfB Stuttgart there is a whole stadium behind their team to yell for the team to stay up. The teams also kept what the starting position had promised during the 90 minutes: Stuttgart fought against relegation and FC tried to keep their minimal chance of sixth place alive with their own win. At the latest when VfL Bochum took the lead at Union Berlin and BVB against Hertha in the final phase of the last Bundesliga matchday, the game in Stuttgart no longer had any clear structures. Both teams wanted to win the game. In the end, VfB had the better end for themselves. And since Union also won at the same time, you could also live with the defeat at FC – and attend the Stuttgart emotions with your own joy about that of the Conference League with the knowledge that football is finally back after two years of the pandemic!
player of the game
There can be no two opinions here: Marvin Schwäbe kept 1. FC Köln in the game several times on Saturday with sensational saves. The Cologne goalkeeper was not only promoted to man of the game because of his superbly saved penalty, which made the Stuttgart team desperate. The goalkeeper won all one-on-one duels and could only be beaten in two set pieces. In this form, sooner or later a real candidate for the national team.
whistle of the day
After Kilian’s clumsy effort against Tiago Tomas, referee Robert Schröder pointed to the Cologne point after eleven minutes. The fact that Kalajdzic’s goal counted after his arm use against Hübers was questionable, but not really a bad decision. The fact that the goal scorer got away without a yellow card in the 27th minute was probably due solely to the referee’s own rule book. The attacker kept Ellyes Skhiri clear in midfield and thus prevented a Cologne counterattack. FC also got the free kick – but surprisingly no warning for the Stuttgart player.
The Broken Series
Ironically, on the last day of the season, 1. FC Köln suffered two defeats in a row for the first time. Even a win on Saturday would not have put FC in sixth place, but if Cologne had won the last two games they would have finished fifth. But this is of course complaining on a very high level.
Joker record missed – after Schaub, Lemperle, Uth, Andersson, Thielmann, Modeste, Schindler, Ljubicic there was no ninth Joker goal scorer. Only once in the history of the Bundesliga has a nine team recorded joker goalscorers: Mainz 2004/05)
The missed records
In the end, the Cologne team missed the Joker record. After Schaub, Lemperle, Uth, Andersson, Thielmann, Modeste, Schindler and Ljubicic, there were no more nineteen joker scorers. Either Benno Schmitz, Jannes Horn or Ondrej Duda should have scored after their substitutions on Saturday. Only once in the history of the Bundesliga has a team registered nine wildcard goalscorers: 1. FSV Mainz 05 in the 2004/05 season. Incidentally, despite his header, Anthony Modeste also missed the all-time header goal record by one goal.
Quote of the game
“I assume that when I get off the bus in Cologne, I will no longer have a voice.” (Steffen Baumgart)
Game Substitution
In the 58th minute, Erik Thommy came on for ex-Cologne player Chris Führich and was substituted again in injury time. A change is generally considered the maximum penalty in football. But not on Saturday in Stuttgart: This substitution should only take time off the clock after VfB’s opening goal. Thommy was subsequently celebrated on the sidelines by coaches and substitutes.
knowledge of the game
1. FC Köln did not lose the Europa League on Saturday, but won the Conference League. Sure, this fact had already been established after the last home game. But the fact that FC approached the game at VfB with full seriousness, never let up, and even after the final whistle in the person of Steffen Baumgart let their gaze wander towards the upcoming Bundesliga season shows the new seriousness with which FC is under the new leadership goes to work. Despite the two defeats at the end of the season, the conviction remains that 1. FC Köln, unlike the last triumph in 2017, is far from finished!