4th matchday
Grillitsch from 55 meters: TSG spoils Cologne’s party
Hoffenheim’s Florian Grillitsch (r) and Andrej Kramaric celebrate the goal for a 2-0 lead. photo
© Federico Gambarini/dpa
TSG Hoffenheim always enjoys traveling to Cologne. She remains undefeated there for the eighth time in a row. The highlight of Saturday’s 3-1 win was a spectacular goal from Florian Grillitsch.
With a lightning and a dream goal from their own half TSG Hoffenheim spoiled the 100th anniversary celebrations of their stadium for their new favorite opponent 1. FC Köln and established themselves in the upper regions of the table.
The Hoffenheim team remained undefeated in the Bundesliga in Cologne for the eighth time in a row with a 3-1 (2-0) win and secured their fifth win in the process. Andrej Kramaric with a goal after 50 seconds and Florian Grillitsch with a shot from 55.6 meters (28th) laid the foundation for TSG’s third win in the fourth game of the season. Maximilian Beier, who scored in the third game in a row, added (52.)
Cologne, who scored a consolation goal through Davie Selke (61st), only have one point to their name and are currently stuck in the bottom of the table. Rasmus Carstensen also received a yellow-red card for a foul in stoppage time. In Hoffenheim’s last defeat in Cologne in 2015, Anthony Modeste, who later stormed for Cologne for a long time, scored for the Kraichgau team, while the later FC coach Markus Gisdol sat on the bench.
The people of Cologne celebrated “100 years of Müngersdorf” around the game. The Müngersdorf Stadium was ceremoniously opened on September 16, 1923, on the spot where the RheinEnergieStadion has stood since 2004. The choreo, which featured idols like Heinz Flohe and Lukas Podolski, was still fully rolled out when Hoffenheim took the early lead through Kramaric. The Croatian took advantage of a mistake by Timo Hübers after a cross from Pavel Kaderabek.
Neither the persistently singing Cologne fans nor the FC professionals were initially deterred by the goal. Selke, who narrowly missed (3′), and Ramus Carstensen (13′), whose shot goalkeeper Oliver Baumann punched away in volleyball style in his 300th Bundesliga game for Hoffenheim, also had chances. But then Grillitsch scored something worth seeing; Cologne goalkeeper Marvin Schwäbe had come far out of his goal after a bad pass and initially saved, but Grillitsch saved from his own half and with a lot of effort the ball turned into the empty goal at the last moment. For the Austrian, who returned this summer after a year at Ajax Amsterdam, it was the first Bundesliga goal in almost three years.
This strange goal was an effective goal, the FC now stumbled into the break. And came out again bold and courageous. First Selke headed just wide (46′), then TSG striker Wout Weghorst headed a shot from Cologne captain Florian Kainz off the line (48′). A few seconds later, Hoffenheim were lucky that there was no penalty after Weghorst’s handball after a shot from Kainz. Then the guests showed themselves ice-cold again and secured the preliminary decision with Beier’s impressive shot into the corner. The people of Cologne at least showed morality. Selke’s goal should have been prevented by Jubilar Baumann, the ball slipped through his legs.