Viktoria Köln Triumph As Former Player Gets Barracked

In the first visit to a European game for the Euro Football News staff, Viktoria Köln saw off the challenge of Stuttgart B with a 2-0 win, with EFN staff watching on.

On a relatively mild night at the Sportpark Hohenberg, 3447 supporters saw the home team win, with two key moments of action coming in the first 15 seconds and the final 15 seconds of the game. Despite creating numerous opportunities, Köln only put the game beyond reach in the final moments, ensuring a well-earned win.

Köln manager Olaf Janßen made just one change from their previous outing against Unterhaching, with Greger returning to the starting eleven after suspension, replacing Schulz. Stuttgart’s manager, Markus Fiedler, on the other hand, made a significant reshuffle following their 1-0 loss to Erzgebirge Aue, making five changes to try and reverse their fortunes. However, the alterations did little to lift Stuttgart’s game, as they struggled to create clear chances throughout.

The match began with intensity, as Stuttgart’s Amaniampong received a yellow card mere seconds after kick-off for a tackle on Köln’s Said El Mala. It laid down a marker for a referring display that was, at best, picky, and often broke up the flow of the game.

That said, it was his decision to let the game flow after a foul that led to the opening goal. In the 13th minute, he waved play on to allow a break by the home side. El Mala opened the scoring, pouncing on a rebound after Stuttgart keeper Dennis Seimen parried a shot from Köln’s Lobinger. El Mala capitalised, putting the hosts ahead 1-0.

Viktoria Dominate But Struggle to Extend Lead

Following the early goal, Viktoria maintained control with further efforts from Lobinger and Henning testing Stuttgart’s defence. Despite their dominance, Köln couldn’t stretch their lead, and the teams went into the break with the scoreline at 1-0. Although Stuttgart showed brief improvement in the second half, they lacked the sharpness required to challenge Viktoria’s defence meaningfully.

As the match wound down, metaphorically and literally, Köln pushed for a second goal but missed several promising opportunities. Lobinger, notably, came close with a header from a corner in the 54th minute. With Stuttgart unable to create any meaningful opportunities, it seemed that Köln’s narrow lead might suffice.

There was some joy for the home side, who got to boo a player previously representing their Bundesliga side, Justin Diehl. He left the Rhineland city under a cloud, moving south, but hasn’t established himself in the Stuttgart side. He came on with 25 minutes to go and was roundly booed whenever he touched the ball. That was, perhaps, the highlight of the second half until the dying embers of the game.

In the 89th minute, Viktoria almost paid for failing to secure their lead when Stuttgart’s Glück found himself with a rare chance, heading the ball dangerously close to goal. However, Köln’s goalkeeper Dudu came to the rescue with a vital save. Moments later, with Seimen advancing into Köln’s box for a last-ditch Stuttgart corner, a long clearance found Köln’s Güler, who sprinted towards an open goal and calmly slotted the ball home, sealing the 2-0 win in the dying seconds, with the last kick of the game.

This defeat marks Stuttgart’s sixth game without a win, pushing them closer to the relegation zone. Meanwhile, Köln snapped a four-match winless streak and will hope to carry this momentum into their upcoming match against Arminia Bielefeld next Saturday.