The big news before the game surrounded the debate around who would start up front, and Markus Anfang put his faith in Terodde and the other 10 players that claimed a 1:9 win over BFC Dynamo last weekend. As for Aue, Daniel Meyer was out to prove a point against his former club. They enjoyed less fortune in the DFB-Pokal, after crashing out 1:3 to 1. FSV Mainz 05. Malcolm Cacutalua, Dennis Kempe, Philipp Riese and Jan Hochscheidt all came into the side following that defeat, replacing Calogero Rizzuto, Sascha Härtel, Dominik Wydra and Dimitrij Nazarov.
Köln started the game well and were keen to come forward from the get-go. After their win against BFC Dynamo, the team seemed fairly confident in attack but were, once again, tasked with breaking down a defence that had set up very deep.
Horn’s cross, Terodde’s header – Cologne take the lead
Chances were few and far between in the early knockings, and Louis Schaub’s “accidental” header was the closest either side came after Martin Männel had failed to deal with a cross under pressure. He was able to recover and make the save, however.
Pascal Testroet was cutting a lonely figure up front for the Violets and watched on as his opposite number opened the scoring. Jannes Horn’s delivery has been criticised in recent weeks but there were few complaints from Simon Terodde, who nodded past Männel to open the scoring.
The joy around the Müngersdorfer Stadion was quickly wiped out, however. Fabian Kalig was afforded time and space to make a driving run into midfield before shifting the ball onto Clemens Fandrich. The midfielder managed to wriggle into space before letting fly from 30 yards and swerving a special effort into the top corner. The remainder of the half saw Köln regain control but fail to make any chances or play pay dividends. A Terodde header was the closest they came, as Aue’s resolute back-line continued to frustrate their hosts.
The Billy Goats picked up from where they left off at half-time, continuing to attack the Aue goal in waves. A superb move down the right saw Christian Clemens benefit from Marcel Risse and Schaub’s smart exchange, although Clemens’ effort was cleared away from the bottom corner.
Simon Terodde: Second Bundesliga’s most proficient striker delivers once again
Vincent Koziello was sacrificed for Sehrou Guirassy as Markus Anfang looked for a more direct approach and another man in the area. While they continued to find it tough going, the change was followed by a second, deserved goal.
Jannes Horn’s cross evaded everyone but Clemens, who managed to find Terodde unmarked at the back post to nod home. Guirassy’s presence told, as the Frenchman had two defenders surrounding him as the ball came in.
With 20 minutes to go the home faithful could breathe a sigh of relief, as Anfang’s men continued in search of a third to truly kill the game off. Aue’s attacks were few and far between, and a series of defensive substitutions meant Meyer had little room left to roll the dice. The last 10 minutes would provide plenty of talking points, least not when Jonas Hector had a goal disallowed for a supposed foul on Männel after he had parried Guirassy’s initial header. FC fans were even more bemused when Christian Tiffert’s tackle, a word used loosely in this case, saw just yellow rather than red.
However, it wasn’t all doom and gloom before the final whistle. Risse capped off a strong showing at right-back by slipping the ball through to Simon Terodde. One of the league’s best ever finishers showed no hesitation in placing the ball into the far left corner and sealing a well-deserved three points.
The win brought FC onto seven points from a possible nine ahead of a potential top-of-the-table clash with FC St. Pauli next Sunday. Aue, on the other hand, picked up their second defeat of the season and travel to FC Ingolstadt 04 as both aim to secure a first win of the season.
KOE (4-1-4-1): T. Horn; Risse (Özcan 90+1’), Meré, Czichos, J. Horn; Hector; Clemens (Höger 75’), Schaub, Koziello (Guirassy 56’), Drexler; Terodde.
AUE (3-3-3-1): Männel; Cacutalua, Tiffert, Rapp; Kalig (Nazarov 78’), Riese, Kempe; Hochscheidt (Rizzuto 56’), Fandrich, Bertram; Testroet (Hemmerich 70’).
Goals: 1:0, Terodde 26’. 1:1, Fandrich 29’. 2:1, Terodde 69’. 3:1, Terodde 89’.
Referee: Marco Fritz (Korb). Booked: Riese (38’), Kempe (66’), Tiffert (86’), Rapp (90+3’).
