Cologne – Leipzig: The invisible 24th man – sport


When Felix Brych put an end to the spectacle at 8:22 p.m., over on the other side of the Rhine in the Deutz district, Robert Hartmann also breathed a sigh of relief. The video referee had had a hard day at work in his basement room. His knowledgeable eye and his advice were constantly asked for, he was the invisible 24th man on the field and a figure who always came to the fore, the Cologne audience devoted minutes of whistling tirades to him, but they also cheered his judgments.

If the video judge disapproves or doubts four out of five goals scored, then he can get the reputation of spoiling the game and put his purpose of existence up for grabs. But it was thanks to Hartmann that the match between 1. FC Köln and RB Leipzig ended 1: 1 and that a great football game had a fair outcome. He corrected what needed to be corrected and in doing so helped the field referees at least twice without embarrassing them.

Only two goals – it almost looks like a joke

In addition, there was enough leeway for both teams to shape the result in their own favor. Two goals were a poor result in a game that was as exciting as an endgame and rushed breathlessly from scoring chance to scoring chance from start to finish. The coronation came in the third minute of stoppage time, when Cologne’s Sebastian Andersson and Andrej Duda gave away two opportunities within seconds, one of which belonged to the 99 percent category and the other to the 100 percent category. How Duda managed to shoot goalkeeper Peter Gulasci instead of shooting into the empty goal will keep him busy for a long time. A Cologne win would have been deserved, but a Leipzig win no less, the draw was the fairest solution.

The game didn’t need a run to get hectic and fast. After five minutes there was the first goal, but the basement in Deutz confirmed the decision of the assistant in the stadium – Dominik Szoboszlai had triggered a minimal offside after Dani Olmo’s pass. Three minutes later, Christopher Nkunku completed an enormous solo with a shot against the post, the Cologne defense wavered worryingly, but they did not fall and they received support from the Cologne offensive, which suddenly shifted the game to the other half.

Duda also hit the goal post, the one-sided Leipzig assault in the first few minutes turned into an exchange of blows between the two parties – a game entirely to the taste of the two attack-loving coaches and the 25,000 eyewitnesses. Voetbal totallyas the Dutch say. It went on at high speed until the break whistle, in between Mark Uth had scored a goal, there was no need to argue about its withdrawal: Assistants Anthony Modeste had been sidelined.

The first half was strong. The second even stronger

The first half had already provided great entertainment, the Leipzigers seemed to have a little more cubic capacity, cylinders and horsepower, but the Cologne-based counterpart with other qualities – and these were by no means the means of the outsider. But the second half should get even better in the same spirit.

There was a 1-0 by Modeste, which did not count (offside, close) and another 1-0 by Modeste, which initially did not count either, but after Hartmann’s advice and Brych’s detailed check on the screen, it was declared legal (54 Minute): Uth attacked Mohamed Simakan from Leipzig in the penalty area, which at first glance still looked illegal, but not at the third and fourth glance.

Hardly ever lasted in his career: Timo Horn (right) saves against Dominik Szoboszlai.

(Photo: Martin Meissner / AP)

Substitute Emil Forsberg (67th) scored the next goal, the stadium announcer had already announced the 1-1 draw and both teams had set up to kick off, but again there was a justified objection, again a single leg (here by Forsberg) was sidelined towered. What an evening. Against Amadou Haidara’s comparatively mundane header rocket to 1: 1 four minutes later, nobody had anything to object to.

Finally, the game also produced a heroic story. While the other players were losing their strength, the Cologne goalkeeper Timo Horn became stronger and stronger and spoiled the reward of the run-up for the now rather dominant Leipzigers by parrying one ball after the other. He served the climax of his deeds just in time for the finale in a private duel with Szoboszlai. FC coach Steffen Baumgart headed straight for Horn after the final whistle to give the goalkeeper the compliments he deserved.

It was only a 1: 1, you might think when looking at the result. But that 1: 1 was no less exciting than a 5: 4 or 4: 5.

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