Late strikes see Cologne edge Bochum

Cologne 2-1 Bochum
Goals: 1-0 Schaub (82’), 2-0 Lemperle (90’+1), 2-1 Zoller (90'+4)

With 25,000 fervent supporters pushing them on in the biggest crowd at the RheinEnergieStadion for almost 18 months, Cologne showed the attacking intent of coach Steffen Baumgart and dominated proceedings. The game was just four minutes old when Modeste turned a Benno Schmitz cross from the right against the post. The right-back delivered again, this time for Ondrej Duda, but his header went straight at Bochum goalkeeper Manuel Riemann. The Billy Goats thought they had the lead after a quarter of an hour when referee Benjamin Cortus played advantage after a foul on Sebastian Andersson and Dejan Ljubicic clinically finished past Riemann. However, a VAR check spotted that the Austrian had handled the ball to control it and ruled the goal out. Cologne continued to press and had 10 attempts on goal – of which four fell to the lively Modeste – but only two were on target. It wasn’t until the closing minutes of the half that the Bundesliga 2 champions found their feet and mustered up a few efforts, but failed to test Timo Horn.

The pace of the game remained high after the break, but it initially only led to a few half chances from both sides. Andersson fired wide and headed over the bar, while Sebastian Polter put a header of his own onto the roof of the net. Cologne began to edge closer when skipper Jonas Hector latched onto a ball on the edge of the box, but his left-footed effort fizzed wide of the far post. And Modeste was then denied by the woodwork for the second time when he met a Lemperle cut-back sweetly on the edge of the area, but only struck the outside of the post. The Frenchman continued his push for a goal as he showed the form that took Cologne into Europe a few years ago, this time spinning 18 yards out and looking to bend a left-footed shot inside the frame of the goal, but was just wide with 15 minutes to go. It would’ve been a mystery if the game had ended goalless, and the decisive moment did come with only eight minutes to go as substitute Schaub turned home a Florian Kainz ball across the face of goal. Lemperle then wrapped things up in added time to turn home Tomas Ostrak’s cross into the centre of the box, which was needed when Zoller then got one back for Bochum in the 94th minute, but it was too late for the visitors.

• Schaub scored his second Bundesliga goal in his 12th game.
• It was also Cologne’s 100th in the Bundesliga against Bochum.
• Lemperle, 19, got his maiden Bundesliga goal. Both of Cologne’s strikes came from substitutes, with one also assisted by a man off the bench.
• The Billy Goats have scored in 29 of their 30 top-flight home encounters with Bochum. The one exception was a 0-0 draw in March 1991.
• Cologne’s record against Bochum is their best against any team in the Bundesliga (W33, D15, L11).
• The promoted club’s wait for an away win in the top flight reached 4,242 days since they won 2-1 at Borussia Mönchengladbach on 16 January 2010.

Watch: Modeste: "We controlled the game from start to finish"

Cologne: T. Horn - Schmitz, Mere (Kilian 46’), Czichos, Hector (c) - Skhiri – Ljubicic (Schaub 78’), Duda (Özcan 88’), Kainz (Ostrak 88’) - Modeste, Andersson (Lemperle 71’)
Unused subs: Urbig, Schindler, Ehizibue, Obuz
Out: J. Horn (hip), Hübers (knee), Schwäbe (hand), Thielmann (ill), Uth (back)
Coach: Steffen Baumgart

Bochum: Riemann – Bockhorn (Ganvoula 84’), Lampropoulos, Bella Kotchap, Soares – Pantovic (Löwen 78’), Losilla (c), Rexhbecaj - Zoller, Polter, Holtmann (Antwi-Adjei 71’)
Unused subs: Esser, Masovic, Osterhage, Chibsah, Novothny, Stafylidis
Out: Asano (muscular), Decarli (back), Gamboa (elbow), Leitsch (knock), Tesche (suspended)
Coach: Thomas Reis