Lots of speed, lots of goals and, at the end of the day, real enthusiasm in Müngersdorf: Steffen Baumgart made a rapid start in the Bundesliga with 1. FC Köln (you can read it in the live ticker). Under the new coach, the almost relegated last season won 3: 1 (1: 1) against Hertha BSC, making Baumgart the first Cologne coach in a good 10 years to win his first league game.
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Berlin’s new signing Stevan Jovetic (5th) brought the guests into the lead early on. But Anthony Modeste (41st), who was recently written off, equalized, for the French it was the first Bundesliga goal in a good 14 months. After the break, the strong Florian Kainz (52nd / 55th) managed a double.
“We saw a great game,” Baumgart commented on DAZN-Interview the sometimes furious appearance of his new team and saw his specifications largely implemented. “The guys can step on the gas, and they did it. The mentality was right. We had to work our way first, and it was important that we didn’t let ourselves be impressed but carried on. It’s great that it ended with a sense of achievement.”
Kevin-Prince Boateng, who had returned to the Bundesliga, had hoped for that in vain with Hertha. “We had big plans, but after 1-1 we break in, which is okay at first, but unfortunately we won’t come back,” said the veteran after the team from the capital city had a false start.
Hertha coach Pal Dardai was annoyed by the playful lead: “We provoked the defeat ourselves. We were master on the pitch, but didn’t make it 2-0 and start swimming after half an hour. I have no idea whether it was physical or psychological, but we have completely lost our direction, “analyzed the Hungarian.
In Cologne, the victory not only marked Baumgart’s debut, but also some folklore returned to the stadium – the softened Corona rules made it possible: billy goat Hennes was back on the pitch for the first time in 533 days, and FC played again for the first time in 533 days a home game in front of a significant number of spectators.
Boateng exudes a lot of calm at Hertha BSC
16,500 were registered, and Baumgart wanted to offer them something. As at his previous station at SC Paderborn, he wants to let Cologne play with “speed and pressure forwards”, it is about “pulling people along”.
The hosts started off accordingly aggressively, recorded ball wins again and again, every single one cheered exuberantly by the fans – but the lively early phase had a huge blemish: Hertha used their first free kick, Jovetic scored from close range.
In general, Berlin tried to build up in a controlled manner for all problems with the Cologne pressure. That succeeded again and again, also thanks to the prudent Kevin-Prince Boateng, the returnees radiated a lot of calm in the headquarters.
Kainz with a double pack for Cologne
And so the FC had chances with Modeste (12th) and Mark Uth (18th), but on the other hand the guest could have increased with Suat Serdar (10th) and Jovetic (26th).
Cologne, however, put much more effort into it and earned the balance: Modeste prevailed in a physical duel with Marton Dardai and scored with his head. Cologne now really got going, and the break didn’t break it either.
Kainz and Ellyes Skhiri had further great chances, then the Austrian was twice successful in a very short time: Kainz used two crosses by foot and head. Hertha now made an offensive move, Cologne no longer attacked that early, it remained a game with chances on both sides.
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