NEWS
Led Twice! But Ilzer's Hoffenheim Botch League Start
TSG Hoffenheim squander a lead twice in the Bundesliga opener against 1. FC Köln and lose the match in the late stages.
1. FC Köln start the new Bundesliga season with a home win. The "Billy Goats" defeat TSG Hoffenheim 3-2 after falling behind twice.
Christian Ilzer's team thus squanders what was an initially good start. Köln's super-sub Thijs Dallinga becomes the match-winner with his brace.
Daghim Puts Hoffenheim Ahead
After an open start, Hoffenheim increasingly took control. The visitors rewarded themselves with the lead in the 27th minute.
TSG impressively played their way through the Köln defence with a series of passes. In the end, Adam Daghim received the ball from Bambase Conte and finished from almost 20 metres with a precise low shot.
For the 20-year-old Dane, it was a special goal: Daghim only moved from Red Bull Salzburg to Sinsheim in the summer and thus scored his first goal in a TSG shirt.
Shortly before the break, Daghim almost did his team a disservice. His catastrophic back-pass became the perfect assist for Said El Mala. The Köln player ran alone towards Oliver Baumann but was thwarted by the experienced Hoffenheim keeper (40.).
Köln Equalise – Schwäbe Saves Penalty
Six minutes after the restart, Köln's super-talent did better: After fine build-up play from Isak Johannesson, El Mala took a shot. His effort was then crucially deflected by former Salzburg player Bernardo, making it unsaveable for Baumann – 1-1 (51.).
Hoffenheim soon after had a great opportunity to regain the lead. After a foul by Jahmai Simpson-Pusey on Conte, the referee pointed to the spot. Substitute Max Moerstedt stepped up, but his fiercely struck effort was saved sensationally by Marvin Schwäbe (57.).
Just one minute later, Moerstedt again had the chance to score the go-ahead goal. After strong build-up play from Wimmer, the striker appeared free in front of Schwäbe but again could not beat the Köln goalkeeper.
Köln also had chances for a second goal during this phase. El Mala (62.) and Luka Lochoshvili (64.) missed.
Kabak Restores the Lead
Hoffenheim's renewed lead eventually came from a set-piece. Wimmer earned a corner with a strong individual effort.
Vladimir Coufal delivered the ball into the box, where Ozan Kabak rose highest and emphatically headed it into the net (67.).
For Wimmer, the match ended shortly after. The Austrian player was substituted in the 71st minute after a solid performance.
Köln Turn the Game Around
Just one minute later, Köln struck back again. The two substitutes who had just been brought on combined for the equaliser.
Linton Maina set up Thijs Dallinga, who scored to make it 2-2 just seven minutes after his introduction (72.).
But the Dutchman's work for the day was far from over. In the 82nd minute, Köln definitively turned the game around. After a corner kick, Hoffenheim failed to decisively clear the ball from the danger zone. Dallinga was perfectly positioned and punished the mistake with a shot from distance.
The substitute thus completed a brace within just ten minutes, allowing 1. FC Köln to celebrate a lead for the first time.
Hoffenheim found no answer in the final stages. Thus, Köln celebrated a home win in the Bundesliga opener, while Christian Ilzer's team was left empty-handed despite leading twice.
