Insights from the convincing home win

The direct counterattack by the Lilies made it 2-1, who provided the right answer to the equaliser with another goal. And in doing so, there was no chance that doubts about the continuation of the inglorious home series could arise on the pitch and in the stands. With a show of will, Lidberg drove the ball forward and kept an overview in the penalty area for Hornby, who was running along, and who only had to push the ball in. “We had to survive a moment, that was 1-1,” Florian Kohfeldt also admitted: “It was very good for us that we made it 2-1 in order to keep the faith.”

A home game for SV 98 including the result. After all this time, you can just write something so bold. The Lilies really wanted to keep the three points in the Merck Stadium at the Böllenfalltor and put in a lot of effort right from the start of the game. Offensively, the South Hesse team were dangerous as usual, but also managed to step on the ball here and there. And to calm the game with long ball passages. Kohfeldt: “In the second half we found a good mix of ball possession and running, but also always playing forward effectively and creating chances.” Defensively, the team was willing and aggressive throughout the entire game, and it was right in the second half not just the input, but also the output. Köln – after all, the best offensive in the league – barely managed to create any real chances after the restart and initiate a comeback.

The symbiosis between team and fans. One reason for the negative series at the Merck Stadium at Böllenfalltor over the past 12 months may have been that performances and mood had a negative impact. The performances too rarely let the spark spread to the stands and, conversely, a certain fatalism increasingly developed, so that even during tours there was great mistrust and support was only available in a trickle. Which also gave the team no push on the pitch. On Friday evening, after a long time and with each increasing minute of play, the Bölle once again developed into a real cauldron. “Today the stadium and the team played very well together,” praised Kohfeldt and the players also mentioned the great home game atmosphere afterwards.

Access in the first round. If there is something to complain about, it is the fact that the guests often initiated dangerous attacks from the outside in the first 45 minutes. “Without the goal to make it 2-1, it would have been a shaky phase,” said Kohfeldt: “We struggled in the first half to tactically control Köln’s overloading of the wing. Not much happened, but we adjusted it at halftime.” With a different positioning, the Billy Goats were deprived of their opportunities to develop. Midfielder Förster also said that they didn’t do so well against the ball in the first half and didn’t get much access: „In the second half we changed something and, above all, played with more balls and then we can hurt any opponent , because we are a team with the ball that can always score a goal and has a lot of potential.”