Cologne is threatened! FC loses outnumbered against Fehervar

After a bitter home defeat, 1. FC Köln are threatened with being eliminated from the play-offs of the Conference League. Coach Steffen Baumgart’s team lost the first leg against the Hungarian underdog FC Fehervar after a long deficit 1-2 (1-2) and is therefore in danger of missing out on the millions from qualifying for the group stage.

To prevent that, FC need a win in the second duel next Thursday (7:00 p.m.) in Hungary. Qualifying for the group stage brings almost three million euros, where there is more money that the financially strapped club could use very well.

“It wasn’t a good game, but it’s also not easy with ten men against a deep opponent,” said Thomas Kessler, head of the licensed players department RTL and emphasized: “It’s half-time, we still have a game in Hungary and I’m confident that we’ll turn it eleven against eleven.”

From Cologne’s point of view, the game had started well. Florian Dietz (14th), who again played in the center of the attack instead of Anthony Modeste, who had switched to Borussia Dortmund, gave FC the lead.

Sending off lets the game tip over

But when Jeff Chabot (20th) had to leave the field with a red card just six minutes later, the game tipped over. Budu Siwsiwadse (32nd) and Palko Dardai (40th), the son of former Hertha coach Pal Dardai, hit Cologne in the heart in front of 44,000 spectators.

Cologne last played internationally 1,715 days ago, so anticipation throughout the city was correspondingly high for FC’s return to European football.

Baumgart’s team got off to a stormy start and, as announced, put the Hungarians under pressure. The 1-0 came from winning the ball, Dietz easily scored after a pass from Dejan Ljubicic. But only minutes later the exuberant mood was over, outnumbered, the Bundesliga team could not find their way and conceded two quick goals.

In the second round, FC vehemently pushed for an equalizer. The Hungarians, trained by the German Michael Boris, held back with commitment and a resolute defensive. FC coach Baumgart (48th) saw the yellow card because he complained too loudly. Jonas Hector (59th) headed just over the goal.

Baum tried to set new impulses for the offensive with fresh forces. Substitute Linton Maina hit the post (70′), and a little later strikers Steffen Tigges and Sargis Adamyan came into play.

1. FC Köln vs. FC Fehervar: Playoffs for the Conference League in the live ticker to read – 1: 2 (1: 2)

Conclusion: The victory of the Hungarians is okay after 90 minutes played. Cologne set the tone for the first 20 minutes, but the red card for Chabot brought Fehervar into play. After the break, FC were in the lead, but it only became really dangerous once when Maina failed to hit the inside post.

90th + 6th And that was it. 1. FC Köln lost the first leg of the playoffs to the Conference League against the FC Fehervar with 1:2 (1:2).

90th + 5th Hector keeps his foot in. That gives yellow.

90th + 4th Fehervar takes some more time off the clock. Pokorny and Lüfnter come on for the last seconds for Zivzivadze and Ruben Pinto.

90th + 2nd The balls fly into the Fehervar penalty area. But unfortunately nothing comes of it.

90 There are four minutes on top of that. At the moment it doesn’t necessarily look like a lucky punch for the people of Cologne.

88 Is there anything else for FC? Time is running out, Fehervar continues to defend.

86 The Hungarians with the next change. Lednev is now in for Bamgboye.

85 What felt like the 20th cross from Schmitz sailed into the 16s of the guests. But again there is no FC striker who can do something with it.

81 Fehervar trades for the first time. Goal scorer Dardai goes, Heister comes into the game.

81 After Kainz’ replacement, Maina now takes the corners – but finds no player in the middle to take it.

78 After a corner, the second wave runs, but Hector can’t get to the end of the second post.

76 Three changes in the Cologne team, Ljubicic, Kainz and Dietz leave the lawn for Tigges, Olesen and Adamyan.

73 Cologne is pushing for an equaliser, but the actions are not compelling enough.

70 Huge chance for FC! Hector just pulls up in midfield and then plays a nice Passa to Maina. The striker threw the ball on the box, but Kovacs saved with a strong reflex on the inside of the post.

69 Dardai takes too much time executing the free kick and concedes yellow.

68 Skhiri is late against Nego in midfield and brings him down.

64 Again and again, the people of Cologne are dangerous with crosses, but there is still no suitable buyer. Kainz tries it, but again a Fehervar head is in between.

62 Lots of space for Hector again, this time on the left corner of the penalty area. The cross comes flat to the five corner where Maina finishes ahead of Larsen but doesn’t hit the ball fully. So it trundles a good meter past the goal at the far post.

60 Steffen Baumgart brings fresh blood. Maina replaces Thielmann.

59 Finally a degree. Hector heads in from a corner, but the ball just goes over the goal.

58 Dietz drops deeply and prevails against several opponents in the left half field. Fiola is the end of the line. The mid-money player collects the next yellow box.

56 Hector tries to extend a free-kick from Kainz from the right-hand field into the middle of the penalty area. That fails and then the Cologne team have to go back quickly because Fehervar starts to counterattack. Bamgboye then plays it too unclean on the left side.

55 Hangya straddles Kainz, who is pulling inwards, and only hits the Cologne player’s foot. That gives the yellow card. The following free kick fizzles out.

54 Maybe a standard situation will help. But Kainz’ corner is too weak. Kovacs is there and catches the ball.

52 The second round starts more subdued than the first half. Fehervar waits and acts very cautiously. Cologne is currently not finding any funds.

49 Thielmann passes sharply and flatly from the right into the middle, where Kainz doesn’t quite get the ball.

48 Cologne tries to get going straight away and comes out of the break with a lot of pressure.

46 The game is released again. Let’s continue with the second 45 minutes.

46 For the second half, Kilian is a new central defender for Pedersen.

Mid-term conclusion: 1. FC Köln got off to a good start and deservedly took the lead after 15 minutes. After the red card against Chabot, the game turned completely. Fehervar suddenly had more confidence, presented the FC defense with major problems and scored two goals to make it 1:2 at the break.

45+1 And then the referee whistles at half-time.

42 Cologne is defensively just right off the roll. Zivzivadze makes Hübers look bad in front of the penalty area, but then gets stuck on Pedersen.

40. TOOOR for FC Fehervar! 1:2 game turned! Again, the Cologne team defends far too passively and just watches. Dardai then gets the ball on the left corner of the penalty area and just holds onto it. From there, the leather hits the left corner post and the stitches.

38 Again, Kainz brings a good cross in front of the goal, but keeper Kovacs is careful and clears the corner.

35 The goal was a bit hinted at, the Cologne team is losing more and more access, but Fehervar is becoming more and more courageous.

32. TOOOR for FC Fehervar! 1:1 Cologne no longer gets defensive access at all. Fehervar can combine cheerfully through the round dance. Finally, a cross from Nego finds the head of Zivzivadze, who asserts himself against Hübers and netts.

30 Big chance for Fehervar! Again, the Cologne look very bad with a long ball. Dardai stops the leather for Bamgboye, who can actually choose the corner. But he pushes the ball past the box

27 Fehervar is getting braver now, but Bamgboye is unable to assert himself against Pedersen on the right near the corner flag.

25 Good free kick by Florian Kainz. The ball comes dangerously in front of the goal, but can then be clarified at the last moment for a corner.

24 Larsen ran into Thielmann head-on on the outside line and received the first yellow card of the game.

21 Red card for Chabot! It can go that fast. After a long ball, Dardai is free and heads towards the Cologne box. Chabot knocks him over from the side and the referee puts him off the field without hesitation. A perfectly justifiable decision.

17 Fehervar responds to the deficit with aggressive advances. Schwäbe didn’t have to intervene yet.

14. TOOOR for 1. FC Cologne. 1:0 Now he is sitting. Dietz is sent down beautifully by Ljubicic and is suddenly allowed to march on goal alone. He keeps track of things very coolly and pushes the ball into the bottom right corner. Cologne is shaking!

11. And there is the first good chance for FC! Thielmann has a lot of space and time on the right and crosses sharply into the middle. Ljubicic put his head down there, but didn’t put enough pressure behind the ball. There was more to it.

10 Kainz is released on the left and brings the ball to the penalty spot. Before Dietz, however, a Fehervar defender gets the ball and clears it.

8th. Cologne are clearly the leading team here, but have not yet acted dangerously forward. Fehervar is very secure.

5. Left-back Pedersen intercepts a ball in his own half and immediately starts the counterattack, at the end of which Cologne make it too complicated on the right in front of the penalty area.

2. Cologne’s first approach to the goal. Schmitz crosses from the half field, but the ball finds no buyer in the middle.

1. The game is on! Let’s start in Cologne.

Before start: And this is how the guests from Hungary try it: Kovacs – Larsen, Stopira, Shabanov, Nego, Hangya – Bamgboye, Ruben Pinto, Fiola, P. Dardai – Zivzivadze.

Before start: 1. FC Köln want to survive tonight with the following starting XI: Schwäbe – Schmitz, Hübers, Chabot, Pedersen – Skhiri, Hector, Thielmann, Ljubicic, Kainz – F. Dietz.

Before start: It’s the first of two playoff games. Whoever prevails after the two games is guaranteed a place in the group stage of the Conference League. The second leg will take place in Hungary on August 25th.

Before start: The game starts at 8.30 p.m. at the Rhein-Energie-Stadion in Cologne.

Before start: Hello and welcome to the Conference League Playoff First Leg. 1. FC Köln host Hungarian club Fehervar FC.