It was still enough for a little anger. Whistles rang out across the half-empty stands after the final whistle, fans cursed and waved contemptuously as they left. But then a grave silence fell over the stadium of 1. FC Köln like a black veil: After the 0:2 (0:0) against Darmstadt 98, which was unworthy of a Bundesliga club, it seemed as if the club had already given in to relegation.
The duel on matchday 30 was called a “final,” a fight for survival – against a team that hadn’t won since October 1st. What happened next can only be explained with complete confusion. In the end, the Lilien professionals let their curve give them a bit of hope and at least postponed the inevitable relegation once again.
The day was brutal for FC. “We absolutely had to win this game. But if you’re afraid of losing, it will be difficult. The fans’ displeasure is only justified,” said striker Mark Uth. “In training we sometimes play tiki-taka – but here we go out and are scared.”
Defender Christoph Klarer (57th) and Oscar Vilhelmsson (90th) scored for the guests, and now the penultimate team from Cologne needs a small miracle in the remaining four games. Next weekend the FC has to play against FSV Mainz 05, which is still in relegation place 16, will play at SC Freiburg on Sunday evening (7.30 p.m./DAZN) and can clearly pull away.