bundesliga

Honours even as Hoffenheim fight back to hold Cologne

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Jacob Bruun Larsen's first goal in eight months helped 10-man Hoffenheim to earn a point at Cologne after the Billy Goats enjoyed a bright start to the sides' Sunday evening encounter thanks to Florian Kainz's opener.

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Cologne 1-1 Hoffenheim
Goals: 1-0 Kainz 13' (assist: Maina), 1-1 Bruun Larsen 36' (assist: Baumgartner)
Red card: Kabak 88'

The hosts exorcised some of the demons that haunted the club following last weekend's 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Mainz by winning a rescheduled UEFA Europa Conference League game against Slovacko on Friday. It was here against Hoffenheim, however, that coach Steffen Baumgart urged his players to engineer a suitable response to Matchday 11's humbling. And respond Cologne did, the Billy Goats scoring inside the opening quarter of an hour for the first time this season. Linton Maina's quick feet on the flank produced the cross that Kainz converted for his fifth goal of the campaign. The visitors boasted an impressive record against the Carnival Club going into this encounter, Hoffenheim having won each of the teams' last eight meetings. Against the run of play, the Sinsheimers pulled level when Christoph Baumgartner - on his 100th Bundesliga appearance - raced away from Nikola Soldo before laying a pass back for Bruun Larsen to angle in from close range.

Knowing his side would leapfrog their opponents into seventh place if he could oversee a first victory against Hoffenheim as a coach, Baumgart sent Cologne out for the second half intent on taking the lead. When Benno Schmitz's centre from the right inadvertently found its way to Kainz at the back post, the Austrian was perfectly placed to fire in his second of the game. His shot, however, failed to outsmart Oliver Baumann, Hoffenheim's ever-present goalkeeper and captain. At the other end, substitute Eduardo Quaresma tricked his way through before freeing Robert Skov, whose dangerous cross-shot was expertly turned away by Marvin Schwäbe. With chances at a premium thereafter and the game heading for a draw, Ozan Kabak mistimed a challenge on Florian Dietz, the result of which meant the Turkish defender was ordered off for a second yellow. Andrej Kramaric subsequently threatened to win it at the death, but by then, both sides were content to have made their point.

Match stats

  • Kainz has now registered a personal-best five Bundesliga goals this season.
  • Cologne scored in the opening quarter of an hour for the first time in 2022/23.
  • Bruun Larsen scored his first Bundesliga goal since February (a 2-1 win in Wolfsburg).
  • Kabak was sent off for the second time in his Bundesliga career. In September 2020 he also picked up two yellows in the same game for Schalke against Werder Bremen.
  • Baumgart has not beaten Hoffenheim as a coach, losing three and drawing two.
  • Alongside goalkeeper Baumann, Kabak was the only Hoffenheim player not to miss a single minute of action in the Bundesliga this term before his dismissal.

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Watch: Duda: "A good point"

Teams

Cologne: Schwäbe - Schmitz, Soldo, Hübers, Pedersen - Duda (Uth 80'), Martel - Huseinbasic, Maina, Kainz (c) - Tigges (Dietz 80' (Adamyan 90'+2))
Unused subs: Horn, Schindler,, Schmid, Schwirten, Smajic, Strauch
Out: Andersson (knee), Chabot (ankle), Hector (foot), Kilian (suspended), Lemperle (ankle), Limnios (knee), Ljubicic (knee), Olesen (ankle), Skhiri (cheekbone), Thielmann (ill)
Coach: Steffen Baumgart

Hoffenheim: Baumann (c) - Kabak, Vogt (Quaresma 62'), Nsoki - Skov, Rudy (Kramaric 57'), Geiger (Stiller 74'), Angelino – Prömel - Baumgartner, Bruun Larsen (Rutter 74')
Unused subs: Noll, Kaderabek, Becker, Akpoguma, Damar
Out: Asllani (ankle), Bebou (knee), Bicakcic (fitness), Dabbur (shoulder), Hübner (ankle), Philipp (finger)
Coach: Andre Breitenreiter