1. FC Köln is delighted with its first win of the second division season. Those in charge know, however, that the 5-0 win over Eintracht Braunschweig can only have been the beginning. Sports director Christian Keller warns.
With five goals, 1. FC Cologne sent a remarkable message to their second division rivals and to themselves against Eintracht Braunschweig. After difficult weeks, the Cologne team celebrated a victory that seemed like a liberation for the team and fans. Goals, enthusiasm for the game and a solid defense – everything that the FC had lost in the last twelve months returned in this match.
The FC’s offensive play was particularly impressive. After only 28 goals in the previous season and numerous missed opportunities at the start of the 2nd league, the deadlock was finally broken against Braunschweig. The trumpets sounded five times on Saturday evening in the pouring rain! But despite all the joy, the question remains: how much was this success worth against an opponent who seemed overwhelmed for 90 minutes of the game?
Pacarada hopes for “wave”
Regardless of Braunschweig’s quality, Leart Pacarada sees the first win of the season as an important step in the right direction, perhaps even as the starting signal for a successful hunt for points. “The team brings a lot with them, the city and the club can ensure that you ride a wave that can be very positive,” said the left-back after the game.
Pacarada’s assessment is coupled with the hope that the team has been able to regain some of its self-confidence through the victory. “It gives you a feeling of happiness and you take that with you. Also with a few young players who are able to experience that. That gives you self-confidence and encourages you.” However, the 29-year-old also knows “that this was only the first step and that next week there is a very difficult game at Schalke.”
Defensive stability – but not without flaws
The Aachen native was also part of a stable and concentrated defense on Saturday. For the first time since the beginning of May, the FC did not concede a goal – that alone was a relief. Nevertheless, the game was not entirely free of uncertainty. Christian Keller warned against overconfidence after the game. Even against the harmless Braunschweig team, the sports director had “seen two or three scenes where we were really careless in defense. I’m thinking, among other things, of the almost penalty situation before half-time. That must not happen.”
Keller’s words underline the need not to overlook the critical moments of the game despite the victory. Elversberg and Sandhausen had punished such carelessness mercilessly. Braunschweig, however, was unable to capitalize on the few defensive lapses. “There is plenty that we still need to work on,” Keller urged humility.
The process continues
Otherwise, the liberating blow against Braunschweig could have only been a flash in the pan. That is why Gerhard Struber said after the game: “We just want to develop step by step and grow together with this team, create our own culture and our own togetherness that strengthens us.” At the Geißbockheim, they are aware that a different caliber awaits them on Sunday with FC Schalke 04.
Pacarada and his teammates know that the match against their table neighbors, who are level on points, will be a real test. “We want to play the game in a similarly dominant and successful manner,” said the left-back. With the success from the Braunschweig game, 1. FC Köln at least has the momentum on its side and can hope that Schalke does not become a wave breaker.
