1. FC Köln 3 SV Werder Bremen 0
At: RheinEnergieStadion
Kick-off: 6-30 pm
Admission: 39-00 euro; Programme: free (4 pages)
Weather: mild, dry
Attendance: 45100
Duration: first-half: 45:08; second-half: 45:12
If anyone compiled a bucket list of 100 grounds that must be visited, I would strongly argue that 1. FC RheinEnergieStadion should be included. Pretty much a full house generated a terrific atmosphere, the pre-match anthem sung passionately by the Köln fans and a decent performance by the relegation-threatened home side. Lucas Podolski scored a goal in each half and Adam Matuschyk netted a vital second goal on the half-hour. Köln by the way is Cologne in English.German efficiency got me from Aachen to the RheinEnergieStadion without a worry or a hitch: train to Horren, S-Bahn line S12 to Koln-Weiden West (a massive park-and-ride station) and an S-Bahn tram to the RheinEnergie-Stadion stop.
My first impression – a huge stadium with a tall glass light tower in each corner. Outside the stadium, there was plenty of beer and bratwurst for sale from numerous vans and stalls.I picked up a club magazine from the club shop (at the north end) and also a glossy folded A3 programme, both given away free. Inside the stadium, my ticket was for the upper tier of the Osttribüne block O12. I think I made a good choice and enjoyed a decent view of the game sat next to two vociferous home supporters with some away fans close by. If Aachen was very ‘yellow’ then Köln was very ‘red’.
As part of the pre-match entertainment, a goat was paraded in front of the players tunnel – shown on the big screen – and also tee-shirts were catapulted into the crowd not by the goat! Before kick-off, fans sang their rousing hymn as they raised their scarfs above their heads – one of those ‘hairs standing up on the back of your neck’ moments!At the start of the weekend, 1. FC Köln (16 points from 18 games) occupied 16th position in the 18-team division. They occupied the relegation play-off position, just one point and one position above the two-team automatic relegation zone. Visitors Werder Bremen (22 points from 18 games) were two places higher.
Teams were announced in the unique German style which involved the announcer shouting out the number and player’s Christian name for the fans to yell back the said player’s surname. There were a couple of familiar names – Koln’s Lucas Podolski the German international striker and Bremen’s former Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre.After the teams changed ends after the toss, 1. FC Köln got this top-flight Bundesliga game underway attacking the Südtribüne where home fans were massed on the large terrace behind the goal.
And those vociferous home fans were soon celebrating an early 7th minute goal. Fabrice Ehret ran down the left and pulled the ball back for Lucas Podolski to hit an angled first-tim eleft-foot shot into the far right corner of the net.Köln doubled their lead just after the half hour mark with a flowing swift passing move. Andrezinho fed Adam Matuszczyk who, on the edge of the area, beat two defender and rifled a low shot from 17 yards out past Tim Wiese into the bottom left corner.
As the interval approached Bremen replaced Felix Kroos with Marko Marin, a player who was seemingly subsequently booed and whistled every time he touched the ball. Why? [Back home, a quick look at the player’s Wikipedia page provided the answer – Marin is a former Borussia Mönchengladbach player]
The two goals were replayed on the big screen at half-time. Not having a stadium fan card to purchase anything with, I sat and thought about the occasion I was thoroughly enjoying. Why was this different to an English Premier League game. Fans were watching the game drinking beer and rarely standing up in the seats. I suppose the fans who wanted to stand were massed on the Südtribüne terrace. I liked the idea of safe standing but, don’t get me wrong, I didn’t enjoy my last experience of standing on a packed terrace at Middlesbrough’s old Ayresome Park in 1995 and wouldn’t want to do so again. There was also good friendly banter between the Köln fans and those from Bremen who chose to sit in the home areas.The three fans sat to my left all disappeared only to return after half-time with a beer each in their hands – very un-English!
For the second half, Köln were now attacking the Nordtribüne, i.e. the goal nearest to my seat. Looking around, the stadium with a attendance of 45100 appeared to be sold out for home fans with spare seats in away area and spaces available on the small away terrace.Werder Bremen created precious few chances and 1. FC Köln wrapped up an excellent win with a third goal scored in the 84th minute. Slawomir Peszko burst into the area on the right, rounded Wiese before pulled the ball back for Podolski to sweep home from 6 yards out.
After the match, I walked back to the RheinEnergie-Stadion S-Bahn station where, as no surprise, the platforms were packed. There was a choice of two routes: from Gleiss 1 to Dom, etc. and from Gleiss 2 to Haumarkt. I chose a Dom tram and got off at Friesenplatz and walked to the near-by Well Being vegetarian restaurant on Brabanter Str.
1. FC Köln (red/red/red): 1. Michael Rensing, 22. Fabrice Ehret, 4. Christian Eichner, 21. Pedro Geromel, 12. Andrezinho, 5. Martin Lanig, 15. Slawomir Peszko, 25. Adam Matuszczyk, 27. Christian Clemens, 10. Lucas Podolski (capt), 11. Milivoje Novakovič. Subs: 23. Kevin McKenna (for Peszko, 85), 37. Reinhold Yabo (for Clemens, 88), 6. Taner Yalcin (for Podolski, 88), 30. Simon Terodde (not used), 2. Miso Brečko (not used), 34gk. Miro Varvodić (not used), 32. Stephen Salger (not used).
SV Werder Bremen (white/green/white): 1. Tim Wiese. 29. Per Mertesacker, 16. Mikael Silvestre, 3. Petri Pasanen, 8. Clemens Fritz, 22. Torsten Frings (capt), 44. Philipp Bargfrede, 14. Aaron Hunt, 24. Claudio Pizarro, 7. Marko Arnautović, 18. Felix Kroos. Subs: 10. Marko Marin (for Kroos 39), 9. Denni Avdić (for Arnautović, 56), 19. Sandro Wagner (for Hunt 75), 17. Said Husejinovic (not used), 46. Onur Ayik (not used), 21gk. Sebastian Mielitz (not used), 37. Leon Balogun.
Referee: P. Sippel (Munich).
Assistants: M. Borsch and W. Hofmann.
Fourth official: T. Welz.
Goals:
1-0 Lucas Podolski (7)
2-0 Adam Matuschyk (33)
3-0 Lucas Podolski (84)
