MThe Cologne fans celebrated their team for minutes in front of the south curve and got them in the mood for the final spurt in the relegation battle. After a crazy final offensive with two goals to make it 2-1 against VfL Bochum in stoppage time, 1. FC Köln’s self-confidence was back.
“Take off Bayern’s Lederhosen,” was the message echoed from the stands on Saturday with a view to their next opponent. With this extremely important success, the penultimate team kept the gap to the relegation place at one point. And direct rescue suddenly seems possible again: opponent Bochum in 15th place is only four points away.
“That was a game that will be remembered,” said Cologne captain Florian Kainz. The 31-year-old spoke of “incredible emotions”. His two substitute teammates Steffen Tigges (90th + 1 minute) and Luca Waldschmidt (90th + 2) scored goals in front of 50,000 spectators to ensure the success that many no longer thought possible. It was the first win for Cologne since the beginning of February.
“As a player, you live for moments like this: to come in and take the game in a different direction,” said Tigges. Looking at the rest of the schedule and the remaining showdown in Mainz, he stated that FC had relegation in their own hands. “After Bavaria, we almost only have direct competitors,” he said.
Coach Timo Schultz spoke of six remaining “finals”. The 46-year-old also explicitly praised the Cologne supporters. “I don’t think a finish like that would have been possible in many stadiums today. “It’s possible here in Cologne with these fans,” he said.
“Empty” for the Bochum coach
While Cologne celebrated, VfL’s disappointment was boundless. “There is a lot of emptiness at the moment,” said coach Thomas Letsch. “That hurts and that’s how we all feel at the moment.”
His team led for a long time thanks to a goal from Felix Passlack (53rd). Bochum has now not won six games in a row. Letsch did not want to comment on a possible coaching discussion or the topic of backing in the club.
“To be honest, I’m not thinking about that at the moment. I’m just disappointed that we lost a game here. I’m relatively uninterested in everything else right now.”
Sports director Patrick Fabian had previously said: “It’s more than just a defeat for us. Losing like that obviously does something to you.” Regarding a coaching discussion, he said: “Immediately after the game, that’s not an issue. Of course: we are all challenged. Of course the coaching team is part of that.”
Fabian also explained: “We will go home, analyze the whole thing and then we will draw the right conclusions from it.” He did not make an unmistakably clear commitment to Letsch. But Fabian spoke about not wanting to fall into activism. “We will discuss with him what his solutions are. We are all required to keep our ranks closed,” he said.
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