Supersub Bryan Lasme rescues Arminia Bielefeld against Cologne
Arminia Bielefeld are still without a home win this season but have another point after substitute Bryan Lasme cancelled out Salih Özcan's opener for Cologne on Saturday.
Arminia Bielefeld 1-1 Cologne
Goals: 0-1 Özcan (17'), 1-1 Lasme 59' (assist: Okugawa)
With a sizeable crowd roaring them on, Bielefeld started strongly as they sought just their second win of the campaign. Visiting keeper Marvin Schwäbe held on to a 20-yard Patrick Wimmer effort, though, as Bielefeld fired off five shots in the opening 15 minutes. It was mid-table Cologne who struck first in the end, with a smart bit of play from Rafael Czichos allowing midfielder Özcan to burst into the penalty area to drill the ball through the legs of Stefan Ortega. Bielefeld could have levelled on 25 minutes but Schwäbe - continuing in the absence of the injured Timo Horn - stood tall to deny Fabian Klos in a one-on-one. Florian Kainz almost created a second goal for the visitors before the break too, but neither Anthony Modeste nor Czichos could turn his free-kick home. A brilliant run from the enterprising Wimmer then came close to changing the half-time team talks, only for a superb Luca Kilian challenge to deny the Austrian. In the dying seconds of the half, Benno Schmitz cleared off the line when a close-range Klos header from a corner looked certain to end up in the net.
The second half took longer to get going and when Wimmer picked out Alessandro Schöpf he pulled his shot across goal. It looked like the home side might be left cursing their luck but a substitution and a quick throw-in from Klos changed the course of the game. Schöpf and Masaya Okugawa found Lasme, and he fizzed a low shot home from the edge of the area barely two minutes after coming on. Kainz then slipped at the wrong moment as Cologne failed to make the most of a rare chance, before a flying save from Schwäbe kept out a long-distance Wimmer volley at the other end. Dejan Ljubicic then broke through for the visitors as the game opened up, but the Austrian's pass across the six-yard box went behind Cologne substitute Sebastian Andersson after Ortega had narrowed the shooting angle. Bielefeld substitute Robin Hack blazed wide from a tight angle himself with nine minutes left, meaning that the home side remain without a win in three games.
Match stats
- French attacker Lasme got his first goal in the Bundesliga on his eleventh appearance in the German top flight.
- Bielefeld had a season-high ten attempts on goal in the first half.
- The home side have scored in their last 16 games against Cologne.
- Özcan didn't score in his first 73 Bundesliga games. After also netting in the 1-1 draw at Mainz, he now has two goals in his last three matches.
- Cologne have yet to keep a clean sheet in the Bundesliga this season.
- The Billy Goats are unbeaten at home so far (W4, D3), but are winless away (D4, L3).
Line-ups
Bielefeld: Ortega – Brunner, Pieper, Nilsson, Laursen – Prietl (c), Kunze (Lasme 57') – Wimmer (Hack 72'), Schöpf, Okugawa – Klos (Krüger 84')
Unused subs: Kapino, Ramos, de Medina, Fernandes, Serra, Andrade
Out: Czyborra (appendicitis), Vasiliadis (not included)
Coach: Frank Kramer
Cologne: Schwäbe – Schindler (Ehizibue 70'), Czichos (c), Kilian, Schmitz – Skhiri, Özcan – Ljubicic, Duda, Kainz (Schaub 84') – Modeste (Andersson 65')
Unused subs: Urbig, Hübers, Mere Perez, Horn, Lemperle, Thielmann
Out: Hauptmann (illness), Hector (thigh), T. Horn (knee), Köbbing (knee), Ostrak (muscular), Uth (illness)
Coach: Steffen Baumgart
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