New Delhi: At a point, all the consolatory praises and compliments not only turn stale, but grow thorns. FC Köln head coach Daniel Weber must be nursing similar stings after he saw his side fight tooth and nail against TSG Hoffenheim, only to blink in the crucial moments and see the scoreline stand 0-3 come full-time in Round 6 of the 2024/25 Women’s Bundesliga.
After a first-half mostly spent by rigorously testing the visitor’s dogmatic approach to building from the back, Köln conceded two goals from forwards Ereleta Mehmeti and Selina Cerci within a space of mere 90 seconds. Other than a gross misstep from Hoffenheim keeper Laura Dick, Köln were left begging for answers and a different ending from their previous matches. Hoffenheim centerback Marta Cazalla’s stoppage time goal was the cruelest climax.
So how does on get their heads around this curious case of Köln? Prior to their 1-0 defeat at Bayern Munich, the Bavarians’ head coach Alexander Straus gave his two cents on the narrative, expressing his bewilderment at the contrast between their performances and their points tally. Straus promised to show them respect, and was saved his blushes after securing three points with a measly lead.
By hook or crook, Sunday afternoon had to be judgement day for the Cathedral City club, with the fire apparent in their aggressive off-the-ball approach to Hoffenheim’s tendency to dominate possession. It wasn’t a surprise, given the rocky start Laura Dick, Hoffenheim’s 21 year-old keeper, has had as the club’s first choice to guard the sticks. Funnily enough, the hosts themselves fielded a 19 year-old Josefine Osigus as keeper, who ended up saving the first big chance of the tie in the 10th minute to deny Hoffenheim winger Dominika Grabowska from the edge of the box.
Köln weren’t without response, and in the 17th minute, found forward Taylor Ziemer with a weighted pass in the box. Initially seeming as if she had hit a cul-de-sac, she showed great dexterity to turn her marker around, before lashing at Dick from close-range, with only her instinctive outstretched leg keeping the tie goalless.
By the mid-point of the first half, Köln had barricaded nearly all avenues towards goal for the hosts, who spent countless moments passing between their backline, towards the right flank, before rushing it back to Dick, who flirted with danger far too often. Perhaps a premonition of sorts, Hoffenheim were direct in the 39th minute, winning a free kick from a lucrative position. Grabowska’s delivery at the far post was met by Cazalla, whose looping header bounced off the crossbar, before hacked from the goalline by Köln forward Dora Zeller. That would’ve been a sour note to end their half on, right?
Three minutes into the first half, and Hoffenheim were direct again. Like a scene out of a vintage cartoon, the Köln centerback pairing of Sara Agrez and Sanina Hechler leapt to clear the ball but only caught thin air, with the ball rolling neatly into the path of Mehmeti. Practically all alone in the box except for Osigus, her shot was placed impeccably into the bottom-left corner.
With the hosts’ ears still ringing from the sucker punch, Hoffenheim went for the death blow; just a few seconds after they took a goal kick, Mehmeti launched a diagonal to the left for Cerci, with a simple touch setting her blazing past her marker Hechler. The ball, still bouncing, looked to be in control of Osigus, only for her hesitation to open the door for Cerci to audaciously lob the keeper for a marvellous second goal. Cerci spared the home crowd some salt in wounds by refusing to celebrate against her former club.
Köln were far from content about relapsing into old habits, and instantly fashioned a retaliation. Hoffenheim substitute Gia Corley’s overzealousness on the ball allowed Köln a rare counter-attacking opportunity, releasing Ziemer to come vis-a-vis with Dick. For all the criticism heaped at the young keeper, she was brave and unbelievably sharp to get her left glove across the shot, bellowing into a triumphant roar when the ball sailed over the crossbar.
Like a snap of the fingers, Dr. Jekyll turned into Ms. Hyde; in the 64th minute, it was Dick, second-guessing whether to rush out to collect a speculative long-ball. It was all that Ziemer needed to swoop the ball past her and cut it back to midfield dynamo Laura Feiersinger, with only a toe poke from a green shirt keeping her away from taking a shot at goal.
Rather than go further behind, Köln managed to hang on for dear hope, but as the minutes ran by, their touches in the opposition box dried up. Chasing the game while dominating possession seemed to be Hoffenheim’s identity in the past weeks, but clever game management took the wind from the hosts’ sails. Come the 83rd minute, Hoffenheim countered and broke forward with fullback Jill Janssens, her initial low cross cleared only till Corley, whose shot was destined to nestle into the bottom-left corner if not for a deflection.
In a near-repeat of their chance in the dying minutes of the first half, Hoffenheim’s free kick delivery in the last minute of the tie was aimed at the far post. It was again Cazalla who rose to the top, packing enough energy in her header to send it blistering past Osigus. The full-time whistle was just overdue confirmation of Köln’s fate.
Both teams arrived at the Franz-Kremer-Stadion, bruised and battered after a run of difficult fixtures. Find out how Hoffenheim managed took mere minutes to demolish Köln in this match report. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
