Cologne celebrations and VAR chaos: 4-1 win against HSV in the promotion duel!

Cologne celebrations and VAR chaos: 4-1 win against HSV in the promotion duel!

What an eye-catcher! 1. FC Cologne won the Bundesliga promotion duel with flying colors against Hamburger SV and won the home game in the stadium convincingly 4-1 in front of over 50,000 cheering fans. Ragnar Ache opened the scoring in the 25th minute. Shortly after the break, Florian Kainz made it 2-0 with a free kick in the 48th minute, which seemed to lengthen HSV's teeth. But the game still had a few surprises in store.

Hamburger SV came back with a goal from Jean-Luc Dompé in the 61st minute, but the shock came shortly beforehand for the guests: a supposed goal from Fabio Vieira was spectacularly canceled after a six-minute VAR check. And for good reason - a foul by Rayan Philippe on Eric Martel was the reason for the decision. The VAR chaos didn't end there, two yellow-red cards for the Hanseatic League in the 79th and 83rd minutes also added to the oddity of the game. HSV player Yussuf Poulsen was upset about the sending off.

A game full of emotions

The encounter was not only charged from a sporting perspective. FC Köln wore mourning ribbons during the game for Hannes Linßen, a former sports director and player for rival Fortuna Düsseldorf. The game became an emotional event for the Cologne team, who not only needed the important victory, but also wanted to stick together in the difficult hour.

After further advances, the Cologne team finally won the game in stoppage time. Said El Mala made it 3-1 in the 94th minute, and Jakub Kaminski increased the score to 4-1 in the 90th + 9th minute. The day will be remembered as a highlight of the season for the Billy Goats.

A well thought out change

Coach Lukas Kwasniok made some changes to the starting line-up and brought in four new players compared to the last game against Bayern. These strategic measures made a decisive contribution to success. Kainz, who described the victory as “extremely important”, made it clear with his performance that Cologne urgently wanted to get back to their old strength after two competitive defeats.

The defeat was particularly bitter for HSV as it was the first against FC after five consecutive games. The spectators saw a turbulent and exciting game that once again shows how quickly the dynamics in football can change. Both teams, which started the season as promoted teams, are engaged in a thrilling battle for points and recognition.

It remains to be seen how the two teams will fare in their upcoming encounters. One thing is certain, however: the Cologne crowd cheered while the Hamburg team still has to nibble on the VAR, the sending-offs and the bitter defeat. High spirits in Cologne, but it's time for HSV to roll up their sleeves and reorient themselves.

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