The 1. FC Köln is playing a very good season. The Rhinelanders were also convincing in their 3:1 win against Fürth after a complicated start – yet coach Steffen Baumgart was far from euphoric after the match.
As the game was decided and the last minute of injury time approached, the FC fans in Cologne’s Rhein-Energie-Stadion sang with fervour: “Oh how beautiful it is.” Their team had delivered a very good second half, turning a 0:1 into a 3:1.
After seven games, Cologne already have twelve points on their account, a score they last surpassed five years ago when they qualified for the Europa League at the end of the season in fifth place. There is still a long way to go, but the start of the season has been successful, the performances are respectable and the team is implementing the ideas of coach Steffen Baumgart better and better.
Skhiri: “Good performance in the second half “
In the win against Fürth, Cologne had “a difficult start”, as midfielder Ellyes Skhiri said later – but he also emphasised: “It was a good performance in the second half.” The straightforwardness, the determination, the energy with which Baumgart’s team went to work after the change of ends all overtaxed Fürth and led to FC turning the deficit into a lead in just five minutes.
Afterwards, Baumgart admittedly praised: “It’s important that you work your way into difficult phases.” However, he did not want to get too effusive. “We know that we still have a long way to go,” said Cologne’s coach. What he didn’t say was that the road behind him and his team suggests there is still a lot to come from FC.