1. FC Köln won the opening game of the 32nd round of the German Bundesliga 5-2 (3-2) against Hertha BSC on Friday and pushed the Berliners further towards relegation. Cologne, where ÖFB legionnaire Dejan Ljubicic played through and compatriot Florian Kainz was substituted in the 70th minute, turned a 1:2 deficit into a brilliant victory. FC is tenth with 41 points, while the last Hertha (25) is slowly going out.
Davie Selke gave Cologne the lead against his former club (8′), then the Berliners briefly turned the game around with goals from Lucas Tousart (18′) and Stevan Jovetic (33′). At the break, however, the hosts were already in the lead again: Timo Hübers after a free kick from Kainz (39th) and Ellyes Skhiri (43rd) scored for the billy goats. In the second half, Hübers (69th) and Denis Huseinbasic (81st) made everything clear. The chances of Hertha with only two remaining league games dropped enormously. The Berliners are dependent on the blunders of the competition.
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