“It was a deserved defeat. Sometimes you need a real wake-up call for things to become clear. We didn’t defend well and gave away momentum far too easily. The first goal in particular was much too soft, but we also didn’t defend the other goals properly. We weren’t precise enough going forward either,” said head coach Julian Schuster after the match.

Unchanged line-up

SC started with the same XI that had taken to the pitch in the unlucky opening-day loss against Augsburg. Of the players who had recently been struggling with fitness, only Philipp Treu made it into the matchday squad.

Köln head coach Lukas Kwasniok made two changes to the side that had beaten Mainz 1-0, with Rav van den Berg and Denis Huseinbašić coming in for Joel Schmied and Tom Krauß.

Ahead of the match, Schuster had warned about the energy of a newly promoted opponent whose fans had waited 470 days for a home game in the Bundesliga – and who had immediately underlined their credentials with a win in Mainz on the opening weekend.

Bright start, but behind

As always, the atmosphere at the RheinEnergieSTADION was electric, with 4,000 travelling SC fans also making themselves heard. Freiburg began alertly, just as their coach had demanded. Eren Dinkci fired wide from distance after 10 minutes, followed by Eggestein with a similar effort that also missed the target (19’).

To counter Köln’s high-pressing front three, SC occasionally played long balls over the top and rotated positions in attack. For much of the first half, the hosts’ strong transitions were kept in check. It was not until the 23rd minute that Noah Atubolu was tested for the first time, saving comfortably from Jan Thielmann.

But the game then began to tilt in Köln’s favour, and they were soon rewarded. A cleared corner was recycled by Marius Bülter, who delivered a cross to the far post where Jakub Kamiński had escaped his marker and finished from close range for the opener (35’).

Although Freiburg increased their attacking efforts against a deeper-lying Köln side, no real chances arrived before the half-time whistle.

Three goals conceded after the break

The second half got off to a nightmare start. Another cross from the right found Bülter unmarked at the back post, and he converted with ease – just as Kamiński had done for the opener (47’).

Ten minutes later, SC’s defence was once again left exposed. A low ball to the edge of the box reached Thielmann, who struck first time into the far corner for 3-0 (57’).

Unlike against Augsburg, when Freiburg created a string of big chances, the attack lacked penetration in Cologne. With half an hour to play, there was little sign of a comeback. A central effort from Lucas Höler, comfortably saved, remained their only shot on target until the closing stages (70’).

Substitute Said El Mala put the game well beyond reach with a thunderous strike for 4-0 (81’). Eggestein headed in from a Christian Günter corner three minutes later to reduce the deficit (84’), but the match was long gone.

SC Freiburg return to action in two weeks’ time away to Werder Bremen. In the meantime, the international break will include a behind-closed-doors friendly against FC Luzern on 5th September.

Photo: deFodi Images