“We’ll try again,” said Steffen Baumgart. He’s looking forward to it and will “be there,” said Julian Nagelsmann. The dialogue between the two coaches after the match between 1. FC Köln and FC Bayern, as the words faded, suggested a long-established and never-ending tribal feud, but that was not the spirit in which the two parties diverged.
The picture that emerged on the Müngersdorf pitch after Munich’s 4-0 win was more of a friendly meeting. Here the Cologne coach Baumgart walked arm in arm with Thomas Müller, there he took Joshua Kimmich aside for a conversation. In the end, they gave each other gifts: Müller took home the jersey of Cologne’s Louis Schaub, Manuel Neuer the famous cap of Steffen Baumgart. Neuer has not revealed whether he will put it on next weekend in order to stand stylishly in his goal like the pre-war idol Heinrich “Heiner” Stuhlfauth once did, but rated the hat appropriately: “The cap is a bit legendary,” said Neuer and did not leave the FC coach without gifts: Baumgart, a self-confessed collector of memorabilia, received Neuer’s goalkeeper sweater in return, hardly stained.
Contrary to what the clear result suggests, the national goalkeeper was by no means idle during the game. He fended off a few balls, other balls just missed their target, and a header from Cologne defender Timo Hübers landed on the crossbar. The fact that Neuer was able to go home with a clean sheet again, which surprisingly often didn’t happen this season, was also a matter of luck. If Cologne had made better use of their chances before and after the break, this game might have been really exciting again. But only maybe.
Robert Lewandowski makes it 4-0.
(Photo: Revierfoto via www.imago-images.de/imago images/Revierfoto)
In truth, the result fairly accurately reflected the difference between the two teams. Not because the people of Cologne fell short of expectations, but because the Bavarians showed their class. Nagelsmann said his team had “good control” over the game. “We were no match for Bayern today,” confirmed Baumgart.
Thomas Müller practices yoga
The Cologne team helped their opponent a bit, namely Ondrej Duda, who lost the ball after sloppy dribbling in midfield and made Munich’s opening goal possible in the ninth minute. So a potential Cologne counterattack became the early beginning of the end, but how Bayern used the opportunity also showed the state of their condition on Saturday afternoon: concentrated, determined, clarified, that’s how they appeared at sixth in the table, in the style of both the incumbent as well as the future German champion. The ball got to Thomas Müller in no time at all, and the next moment Robert Lewandowski was alone in front of Marvin Schwäbe – a duel that the FC goalkeeper couldn’t win.
Had there been a player of the match vote in Cologne, as in the major country tournaments, three-time goalscorer Lewandowski would certainly have lifted the trophy, but despite his convincing arguments there was competition within his team. With 23 goals in the national scoring list, Lewandowski is once again lonely ahead – Müller is not inferior to him in the assists category. In Cologne he added number 17 and number 18, in his preparation for Corentin Tolisso’s precision goal to make it 2-0, it again looked as if Müller wanted to do a demanding yoga figure. In truth, however, it was simply the right contortion for the right purpose.
Some football friends in Germany – especially in Dortmund – may have hoped that this afternoon would stimulate the fight for the title. It is possible that Bayern would still start the match day a little weakened by the corona virus, but Munich’s resources were easily sufficient in Cologne. Although Marcel Sabitzer had to help out as a left-back this time, he was in a better position this time than in the 2-1 draw against Mönchengladbach. The return of Tolisso, who was quarantined last week, was also noticeably helpful and strengthened the midfield. Joshua Kimmich was back at his old level a week after his comeback.
The next returnee then also became a candidate for a special prize: As a precaution, Nagelsmann planned a part-time assignment for the newly recovered Leroy Sané. The substitute international used the deadline to immortalise himself in the history of the game with two brilliant assists for Lewandowski. The well-served centre-forward then made it look as if his goals were not great art, but merely the fulfillment of duty – but that’s the great art.
The Cologne team, trimmed to be aggressive by Baumgart, had challenged the risk with their pressing and their forward drive. Salih Özcan must have felt a bit lonely as a solo player in defensive midfield. In the end, FC got a pack, but the team would certainly not have been hissed at by their audience if the usual 50,000 spectators had been allowed to be there instead of the 750 allowed. Nagelsmann is also looking forward to seeing Baumgarts FC again. “It makes you want to see Cologne’s games,” praised the Munich coach – specifically not because he had won this time.
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