Brave Köln push Bayern but will it be enough to bring calm to Effzeh? | Bundesliga

We didn’t see this coming, and never solely due to the fog of pyro lingering over the RheinEnergieSTADION area that furnished us with 11 minutes of first-half stoppage time. In October’s equal fixture within the DFB Pokal, Köln had actually rattled Bayern Munich within the first half and even taken the lead by way of Ragnar Ache – and nonetheless ended up on the unsuitable finish of a 4-1 scoreline.

The world round Geißbockheim has not been a very completely happy place since. Effzeh got here into this Englische Woche on a run of seven video games with out a win, which was even tougher to swallow after an especially promising begin. Worse nonetheless, head coach Lukas Kwasniok – who began this season embracing the town and the membership’s spirit together with his carrying of reproduction shirts on the touchline – was not too long ago focused by Köln followers in Saturday’s draw at Heidenheim, with a banner studying “Kwasni Yok” (“yok” being no in Turkish), credited to the Wilde Horde ultras group.

It had as a lot to do with Kwasniok’s perceived off-field manner because the waning outcomes, which the coach responded to in denying he had stopped gamers from going to a fan occasion. With sporting director Thomas Kessler having to kind out relations between the coach, the hardcore supporters and a pair of disgruntled gamers in Luca Waldschmidt and Florian Kainz, it didn’t bode properly for going through the champions and runaway leaders. “I simply hope that we would be capable of annoy Bayern,” Kwasniok had stated, seemingly extra in hope than expectation.

Jahmai Simpson-Pusey might need puzzled what he has walked into. The 20-year-old, a Manchester Metropolis academy graduate and final 12 months’s Premier League 2 participant of the season, joined on mortgage with an choice to purchase simply over per week in the past, after a irritating first half-season at Celtic. With Köln’s defensive accidents he has been thrown straight in and if that wasn’t sufficient, his residence debut pitted him straight in opposition to Harry Kane.

“It was nice, an awesome expertise for me,” Simpson-Pusey informed the Guardian afterwards. “And I really feel I didn’t do too badly in opposition to him.” The identical may very well be stated for his new workforce regardless of a 3-1 defeat. They took the lead right here as they’d in October – this time through Linton Maina’s aim, a well-hit left-footer after a charging counterattack that shocked Manuel Neuer as a lot because it did the 50,000 sold-out crowd. Bayern’s goalkeeper received an enormous hand on it and possibly ought to have saved it but it surely was a bolt from the blue reasonably than the fruits of stress, even when Saïd El Mala had compelled Neuer to avoid wasting together with his legs within the first minute.

Vincent Kompany’s males had been compelled to interrupt out a couple of fragments of their absolute A-game to raise themselves again into the sport. Serge Gnabry’s equaliser was a real second of inspiration, with him operating out of room by the byline so intentionally hitting his shot into the bottom to loop over Manuel Schwäbe, Mesut Özil-style (Schwäbe later grumbled that Gnabry hadn’t meant it, Bayern sporting director Max Eberl disagreed).

In the meantime, Simpson-Pusey helped to man the barricades throughout a second half during which Bayern had the higher hand, however not often felt as if they’d Effzeh below whole siege. The person from Huddersfield was discovering the deep finish of the Rhein comfy sufficient for swimming. “It’s what I needed,” he insisted of being relied upon from the get-go. “I needed to play, and I’ve been desirous to play for the previous seven months. I’m very grateful for it.” His composure on the ball was notable within the midst of a recreation the place Köln had a contact over 27% possession. “I’m the central one of many 5 [at the back] so I can’t be panicking,” he stated. “I must be calm on the ball and if I’m calm, everybody in entrance of me will probably be as properly.”

Ultimately one lapse value Köln; having held Bayern for over 70 minutes Hiroki Ito headed again an extended Luis Díaz cross after a set-piece for Kim Min-jae to nod in from shut vary, an infuriatingly easy aim after such an effort. Shortly earlier than the tip Bayern wrapped up the victory, with substitute Lennart Karl stroking residence a Díaz go after the Colombian had been set away by a rare, curving crossfield go by Kane, delivered because the striker was falling backwards within the centre circle. For a second time, Bayern had needed to conjure a circus trick to undo their hosts.

It gave Bayern the most effective Hinrunde document in Bundesliga historical past – on the midway stage they’ve dropped simply 4 factors from 17 video games, a excessive watermark solely matched by Pep Guardiola’s classic (although Vincent Kompany’s workforce have a +53 aim distinction, versus the +35 of Guardiola’s aspect in 13-14). The 2 unlikely groups to disrupt them to this point had been Union Berlin and Mainz. Köln virtually made it three.

Will the match assist Kwasniok? The beneficiant full-time applause for the house aspect’s efforts prompt maybe, although this a risky atmosphere. “The whole lot begins from scratch tomorrow,” warned Kompany regardless of his aspect’s extraordinary document, and it will likely be the identical for Köln. Taking pictures for the celebs comes naturally to this membership; taking a deep breath and measuring a technique generally much less so.

Speaking factors

Stuttgart adopted up their gorgeous work in Leverkusen by edging out Eintracht Frankfurt in a Tuesday night time thriller after Nikolas Nartey’s late winner from one other Josha Vagnoman supply overshadowing Eintracht debutant Ayoube Amaimouni-Echghouyab after his sensational debut equaliser. Nartey deserved his second too, although, getting back from a list of accidents in what his sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth known as “a rare story”.

Calmer waters in Dortmund after they dispatched a woeful Werder Bremen 3-0; Serhou Guirassy got here on to interrupt his barren run and rating the third, arrange by the hustle of Jobe Bellingham. Fábio Silva was chosen to begin forward of Guirassy, and Silva well made himself the primary to congratulate the Guinean for his aim, whereas Niko Kovac congratulated himself. “I don’t need to pat myself on the again,” he stated, “however I believe the plan labored. Video games open up within the second half; you get more room, extra room to get a shot off.”

Lastly, lastly, Mainz gained, with victory over Heidenheim – their first below Urs Fischer, their first within the Bundesliga since September and their first at residence within the Bundesliga in 11 months – to rise off the underside. “I couldn’t care much less what occurred within the 90 minutes,” admitted sporting director Niko Bungert, and there had been nervy closing levels after Saturday’s lack of a two-goal lead at Union. “We’re simply completely happy.”

After two video games fell to the climate in Saturday’s programme, extra snow within the north meant Tuesday’s recreation between Hamburg and Leverkusen was known as off at brief discover. To compensate travelling followers Die Werkself are refunding their supporters’ tickets while leaving them nonetheless legitimate for the rearranged fixture (and discovering a spot for it gained’t be straightforward with Leverkusen’s packed calendar). HSV gave away the unused meals from the Volksparkstadion to area people teams.