Koln strengthened their lofty early-season standing by beating Hoffenheim 1-0 on the road, with that serving as just their second win from their last 14 away league games.
The winner of this clash was in line to end the evening in the top four of the Bundesliga, and such an incentive played its part in Hoffenheim flying out of the traps.
Their early pressure yielded a glorious opportunity after just five minutes, when a loose ball inside the area fell favourably for Muhammed Damar and his curling effort, which was destined for the far corner, needed palming away to safety by Marvin Schwabe.
His heroics gave Cologne a platform to go on and take the lead soon after, and they did so with a goal that will be remembered for years to come in the Bundesliga, as Said El Mala picked the ball up just inside the Hoffenheim half, ran all of 40 yards with it, and found a finish into the bottom corner.
Cologne hadn’t led for too long before their goalkeeper was bailing them out once more. A deft Fisnik Asllani ball slipped Bazoumana Toure in behind, but as he bore down on goal, his low drive was repelled by the legs of Schwabe.
The most contentious moment of the half came on the stroke of half-time, when referee Felix Zwayer pointed to the spot after Eric Martel was adjudged to have blocked Toure’s effort with his arm inside the area. Replays showed that the ball had actually struck his side though, and after a mercifully short check of the pitchside monitor, Zwayer correctly overturned his initial decision.
Hoffenheim had pushed and probed in the first half, but their lack of invention in the final third proved to be their undoing. They were keen to ensure that wasn’t the case after the break, and Asllani almost changed their fortunes when his hooked volley flashed just wide of the far post.
A failure to tie down El Mala was threatening to undo the hosts’ chance of getting back into the game, with Cologne's dangerman a constant thorn in their side. He came close to doubling the visitors’ advantage shortly after the hour mark when he worked a yard in an inside left position and unleashed a fierce effort towards the bottom corner, which Oliver Baumann needed to beat away.
For all the huff and puff Hoffenheim displayed as they tried to get back into the game since falling behind, having no second-half shots on target by the time the 90-minute mark hit was indicative of the struggles they faced all evening.
They were unable to change that in the closing stages and were condemned to a fifth successive Bundesliga defeat at home. Victory was something of a rarity for Cologne in this H2H, with tonight’s victory marking just their second in the last 15 meetings between the sides.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Said El Mala (Koln)
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