Steffen Baumgart stormed down the grandstand, hugged each of his players and was right in the middle of the big European Cup party in front of the FC curve. A few minutes after the anger about his yellow-red card due to violent protests, the impulsive coach was in a party mood. Baumgart and Co. jumped enthusiastically across the lawn.
The people of Cologne had previously averted the embarrassment at Lake Balaton and secured at least six more festival evenings and important millions in revenue. In the playoff second leg to the Conference League, Cologne won 3-0 (1-0) at Fehérvár FC in Hungary and despite the 1-2 home defeat a week ago they still qualified for the main round.
“People often talk about pride. It started last year, we continued it. The boys knocked everything out – with patience and a lot of spit. The whole club did something,” said Baumgart on RTL +. The coach found his dismissal too petty: “I did something wrong. He (the referee) probably felt threatened.”
Because of Cologne, the Bundesliga is represented by eight clubs in the group stage of the European Cup for the first time in 14 years. The qualification gives FC around ten million euros. Money that the financially troubled club, which has already been eliminated from the cup, urgently needs. Central defender Timo Hübers (10th), Ellyes Skhiri (46th) and Kingsley Schindler (90th + 4) scored the goals for the team coached by Steffen Baumgart, who had to follow the final minutes from the stands. The coach had seen yellow-red because he had complained too loudly.
“European Cup, we’re back in Europe”
“I’m very relieved that we made it. It was deserved for more than 180 minutes. The players should celebrate, then we’ll fly home,” said managing director Christian Keller and recalled the great development at FC: “You just have to see where FC was a year ago. Everyone would have signed up to play just one playoff game.”
As expected and as in the first leg, FC took over the initiative directly, but as in the first leg, the Hungarians defended themselves bravely and set dangerous pinpricks on counterattacks. But FC quickly took the lead from a standard situation when Hübers headed in a corner from Florian Kainz. Since the away goals rule was abolished, the result from the first leg was already equalized.
However, the game was not a sure-fire success for the Bundesliga club. FC were clearly dominant, numerous corners and crosses sailed into the penalty area, but most of them were easy prey. And despite 13:2 shots on goal before the break, only Kainz’s shot from about 20 meters really posed a threat (37th). And so it was 2-0 even after a standard situation. Again it was a corner kick from Kainz, Kristian Pedersen extended, the strong Skhiri completed at the far post. And the Cologne fans sang in an endless loop: “European Cup, we’re back in the European Cup.”