It has been over a year since 1. FC Köln last won away from home; since then, they have gone 16 matches without a win. Their latest defeat came on Friday evening in a 0–1 loss in Frankfurt. The disappointment following the final whistle was immense – and not without reason.
“That’s a good question,” said Said El Mala, puzzled, on Sky when asked how the defeat could have happened. “We were the better side in the first half. We played our best half of the season, defended everything well, were more aggressive, were more incisive, but we couldn’t capitalise on it. Frankfurt were so flat that we were already feeling confident.”
He himself squandered a big chance shortly before half-time, which he subsequently regretted. “I had a chance where I needed to be a bit calmer and not so frantic,” he said of his imprecise curling shot following a 50-metre solo run, and also asked for a little understanding: “But you have to understand, I’d started my run from our own half, so it’s not that easy.”
After the break, however, the game swung in favour of the Eagles – and El Mala couldn’t explain how that had happened. “Frankfurt were suddenly a bit more incisive, had even more motivation. Why? I don’t know!” The goal conceded then resulted from an “unfortunate incident through the legs”, as El Mala put it.
“Escort”: Schwäbe voices criticism
Goalkeeper Marvin Schwäbe was even harsher in his criticism of his teammates up front. “The goal we conceded was more a case of us failing to close him down than us actually getting into a challenge,” he noted, adding: “After a throw-in, we didn’t put any pressure on the ball,” meaning that Noel Aseko, who had come on as a substitute, was able to do as he pleased. Then there was Younes Ebnoutalib’s finish into the near corner, which was “well-placed and powerful”. “It reminded me of one or two other goals we’ve conceded. That’s bitter, of course, and mustn’t happen.”
Schwäbe couldn’t explain why the balance of power had shifted so dramatically in the second half either. “We felt confident; we knew we were largely in control of the game and we’d set out to do the same in the second half.” But then things took a different turn. “Frankfurt stepped up a gear; we became more passive.” Nevertheless, the keeper felt that Effzeh could have achieved more. “For long stretches, it looked as though we deserved a draw.”
The fact was: from the 77th minute onwards, Cologne were trailing – and never recovered. It was their 16th consecutive away match without a win (6 draws, 10 defeats). “That can become extremely dangerous. If we don’t pick up any points, it’ll be tough,” warned El Mala, whilst remaining confident that the deadlock would eventually be broken – it was just a matter of time. Schwäbe was more relaxed on this point, simply remarking that for him “it would also be fine if we picked up our 40 points at home”.
El Mala’s belief in a turnaround is likely fuelled by the performance against Eintracht – despite the defeat. “We put in a good performance. We made life extremely difficult for Frankfurt and weren’t completely blown away.” The 20-year-old immediately dismissed any concerns about an injury-related substitution; El Mala was substituted for Reigan Heskey in the 84th minute. “I wasn’t injured,” said the international, adding that “at some point, you just run out of steam” when you fight as hard as he did. However, he did admit to having “picked up a few knocks to my foot, but that will sort itself out over the next few days”.
