Timo Werner had a goal ruled out as RB Leipzig dropped points in the title race after drawing 0-0 with Cologne.

Cologne 0-0 Leipzig

Beginning the matchday on a 17-game unbeaten run and only two points off Bayern Munich, Leipzig started with the expected confidence and should’ve been ahead inside three minutes when Werner was played clean through, but slotted wide from dead centre with Marvin Schwäbe diving the other way. There were plenty of half chances that followed without posing much threat until an almost carbon copy of the earlier attack saw Andre Silva in on goal but denied one-on-one by Schwäbe. Cologne covered more than four kilometres more than their opponents, but failed to have an effort on target in the first half. However, the hosts were denied twice by the woodwork in the space of a few seconds late in proceedings. Linton Maina struck the left post as he looked to finish off a break before Dejan Ljubicic fired the rebound off the top of the crossbar with the goal at his mercy.

Werner did find the back of the net inside three minutes of the second half, but the celebrations were quickly cut short when VAR signalled that Silva was offside before delivering the cut-back. The disallowed goal meant Leipzig only mustered one blocked Benjamin Henrichs shot in the second half as they drew a blank for just the second time under Marco Rose. Cologne looked the more likely in the second period, but again failed to test Janis Blaswich, who didn’t have a save to make. A second consecutive goalless draw for the Billy Goats leaves them in mid-table, but Leipzig missed out on the chance of going top – and in fact slipped to fourth – before Bayern’s Sunday trip to Wolfsburg after Dortmund and Union beat Freiburg and Mainz respectively.

Match stats

• Cologne and Leipzig are still unbeaten in 2023, but the latter’s run without a loss is now at 18 games in all competitions.
• Die Roten Bullen failed to score for just the second time under Rose, after the 3-0 loss at Borussia Mönchengladbach on Matchday 7.
• The Billy Goats scored eight goals in their first 94 minutes of action this calendar year, but have since gone 266 without.
• Leipzig are winless in three away to Cologne. Their overall record at the RheinEnergieStadion reads: W2, D3, L1.
• Cologne kept a second straight clean sheet, but haven’t recorded a to-nil Bundesliga win since Matchday 26 of 2021/22 (1-0 vs. Bayer Leverkusen).
• Rose is still yet to lose to former DFB Coaching Academy classmate Steffen Baumgart (W3, D2).

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Teams

Cologne: Schwäbe - Schmitz, Hübers, Chabot, Hector (c) – Skhiri, Martel – Maina (Adamyan 85’), Ljubicic (Huseinbasic 55’), Kainz (Thielmann 73’) – Tigges (Selke 73’ (Lemperle 85’))
Unused subs: Horn, Soldo, Schindler, Olesen
Out: Andersson (knee), Dietz (cruciate ligament), Kilian (muscular), Limnios (cruciate ligament), Pedersen (muscular), Uth (pelvis)
Coach: Steffen Baumgart

Leipzig: Blaswich – Klostermann, Orban (c), Gvardiol – Henrichs, Laimer, Schlager (Haidara 83’), Raum (Halstenberg 61’) – Szoboszlai (Forsberg 68’), Silva (Poulsen 83’), Werner
Unused subs: Nyland, Simakan, Ba, Kampl
Out: Diallo (knee), Gulacsi (knee), Nkunku (knee), Olmo (thigh)
Coach: Marco Rose

About the clubs

RB Leipzig

Red Bull Arena

1. FC Köln

RheinEnergieSTADION