20th matchday: Frankfurt no party fright: Cologne after 3-0 in a party mood

While the Cologne fans got in the mood for the biggest party week of the year with carnival hits in an endless loop, Oliver Glasner had long since left his seat on the sidelines.

The coach of Eintracht Frankfurt watched the last minutes of the bitter 0:3 (0:0) at 1. FC Köln sitting on his bench, looking sullen and lamenting.

“Cologne was better in standard situations in both penalty areas. We were often in promising situations, but the decisions were not good enough,” said Glasner on the DAZN streaming service. “I’m really mad at us,” added the Austrian, speaking of the unusual feeling of defeat.

FC spoils Frankfurt Super Bowl party

Not even the performance of Ellyes Skhiri should have pleased him. The FC Tunisian midfielder, who Eintracht would like to sign in the summer, was again the outstanding man on the pitch and after Timo Hübers took the lead (49th minute) he also scored twice (71st/86th). He is free, the number of Frankfurt competitors could increase after five goals in five games this year.

After the 20th Bundesliga matchday, the Hessians are only sixth, away from home they have been waiting for a win since the beginning of November. Glasner announced right before the game that his team would be having a Super Bowl party that night. However, there was little reason for this.

The Cologne team, who were still undefeated in 2023, could not have picked a better time for their first success after three draws and two 0-0 games in a row. This Monday, FC is celebrating its 75th birthday with a big carnival celebration, one day later the annual FC carnival meeting takes place. The people of Cologne therefore lined up in a special birthday jersey, which sported the old Billy Goat logo from the glorious 70s and 80s.

Teams neutralize each other at the beginning

Hübers and Skhiri gave Cologne nine points ahead of relegation rank 16. “It was okay, you can live with it,” said goal scorer Hübers mischievously. “When you rock the second half like that and the stadium is upside down, it’s great football afternoons here,” said the central defender. Coach Steffen Baumgart was pleased to say: “We also had a little bit or two. But everyone is running for the next one, and that’s what sets us apart at the moment.”

Both teams started offensively. But because both also defended passionately, there were hardly any goal scenes at first. The Cologne team were lucky after 16 minutes that there was no penalty for Eintracht. Eric Martel touched the ball with an active movement with his upper arm, but according to the pictures, referee Daniel Siebert did not give a penalty. His clearly visible argument: Martel touched the ball with his shoulder. Glasner spoke after the game of a clear penalty.

Lightning start after the restart – Frankfurt lackluster

Eintracht not only had significantly more possession of the ball, but also the more mature game system. In the 24th minute, Randal Kolo Muani seemed on his way to making it 0-1, but Benno Schmitz tipped the ball off his foot at the last moment. Cologne bravely held back, but the fifth half in a row ended without a goal for FC or the opponent.

FC then broke through this goallessness three minutes after the break when Hübers extended the ball into the far corner after a short corner and cross from Florian Kainz. It was his first Bundesliga goal in 13 months. Of course, the guests now only intensified their offensive efforts, but for long stretches they remained surprisingly lackluster in contrast to many galas this season. Instead, Eintracht ran into a counterattack that Skhiri completed to decide. His second goal crowned the successful performance in Cologne.