Köln’s mascot Hennes IX was just as surprised as anyone after 27 minutes of the DFB Cup tie against Bayern, as Michael Olise took off his shirt only a few yards away from the home team's beloved billy goat mascot. But Bayern's winger wasn't celebrating a goal. He was on his way to take a corner and only took off his jersey to remove his long-sleeve undershirt in an intense and quite obviously very heated encounter. This was in part due to the mild temperatures, but even more so because of the courageous playing style of the hosts during the first half. While Bayern were initially put to an exhausting test by the Cologne club, Vincent Kompany's men ultimately had the reaction of a real top team.
But first things first. Lukas Kwasniok's promoted team had enjoyed a good start to the season with 11 points from eight games and had announced they would try to “force Bayern into duels”. The plan was to initially focus only on the first half and keep things tight. Kompany, on the other hand, believed Köln could pose a threat not only in individual duels but also with set pieces. At half-time it was already clear that both coaches were right.
Great start for Köln
The home fans had welcomed their team with an impressive pre-match tifo and the volume of support and crowd chants suggested the city’s annual carnival celebrations had been brought forward by a fortnight. The passion in the stadium was tangible and the home team subsequently enjoyed a great start. While Bayern had good chances of their own for Luis Diaz and Harry Kane, Köln created opportunities of their own for Ísak Bergmann Jóhannesson and Jakub Kaminski. Bayern goalkeeper Jonas Urbig made a great save to deny Jóhannesson and showed a good overall performance against his former club in the absence of the suspended Manuel Neuer. “We played well as a team. Köln have been playing a really good season so far. We were prepared for a strong performance, so we weren't surprised. It was a good game of football,” the 22-year-old commented.
After 31 minutes Bayern had already faced four shots on target in a goalless draw – more than in any first half so far this season. But Bayern had an even bigger problem shortly afterwards, as Köln’s fifth attempt found the back of the net. Just like Kompany had warned, the home team scored from a set piece, Ragar Ache heading the ball in. Despite 65 percent possession, Germany's record cup winner were trailing for the first time in their 14th competitive game of the season. The fans screamed “Kölle Alaaf” from the stands and Bayern were forced to regroup, but they reacted just like a top team should.
Bayern's response
“What I love about this team is that we stay calm. We clawed our way back into the game,” praised Kompany after the final whistle. As fresh as Olise might have felt wearing one less layer, Bayern's reaction certainly oozed coolness. Those hoping the Bavarians’ current winning streak would end in the DFB Cup, following a string of disappointing results in this competition in previous years, were soon thoroughly disappointed. Bayern now began to show their class. Full-backs Konrad Laimer and Josip Stanišić, who marked his comeback after several weeks of absence, set up the equaliser for Díaz after 36 minutes. His tap-in from a central position should, however, have been disallowed due to an offside position. In this situation, Bayern were lucky that VAR isn't used in the first two rounds of the DFB Cup. Díaz didn't seem to mind as he celebrated an outstanding 13th goal involvement in 14 games for the club (eight goals, five assists). Only one man has contributed more, and it's no surprise that the player with a mind-boggling 25 involvements already is Kane.
Kane brace leads to European hat-trick
After 38 minutes the English striker made it 2-1 as he finished an attack from Laimer and Olise with an acrobatic turn and stunning effort into the top corner. Kane has now been involved in at least one goal in his four cup outings in Germany (five goals, one assist). “The first 30 minutes weren't easy. We had chances to take the lead. They scored the first goal, but we reacted very well. It was very important for us to gain control before half-time. In the second half, we were more able to play our style of football. Once they started to get tired, we had more space and we used it,” Kane said after the game. “We're enjoying a good spell and have to keep this feeling and winning mentality going.”
The important lead just before half-time proved invaluable for Bayern. Köln were unable to apply the same level of pressure in the second half, while Kompany's team now began to use the available space. After 53 minutes Díaz was in a one-on-one with goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler following a through ball by Kane, but overshot the target. Eleven minutes later, however, the game was put to bed. From a Joshua Kimmich corner, Kane headed the ball in from close range. No player in Europe has netted more than Kane's 22 goals this season. Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé comes second in this statistic on 16. Additionally, Bayern's striker is now top of the scoring lists in the DFB Cup, the Bundesliga and the Champions League.
A dream combination to finish
Bayern had one more highlight in store in the pouring rain of Cologne. After 72 minutes Olise won possession in his own half, sprinted down the wing and passed the ball to Aleksandar Pavlović. The Germany international played it on nicely to Díaz, who one-touched the ball back to Olise for an easy finish. Köln's Linton Maina hit the post just before the end as the match ended 4-1. “We were already hungry last season. Now we want to continue this 14-match winning streak. You could see the kind of mentality our team has and how much joy they have playing football. At the moment, we're on a very good run,” board member for sport Max Eberl said following this away win.
At the end of this highly entertaining cup night there were smiling faces all around in the Bayern camp. During the celebrations with the travelling fans and on the way to the team bus. Bayern have now won all 14 competitive games this season and therefore set a new European record, breaking AC Milan's 13-game initial winning streak in the 1990s. In addition, Jonathan Tah, Dayot Upamecano and their teammates made it 21 games unbeaten against Köln (19 wins, two draws) and also managed to break the most recent cup curse. Bayern had dropped out in the second round of the DFB Cup three times in the past five years, but not this time!
Kompany's team can now travel back to Munich full of confidence and approach the two big matches against Bayer Leverkusen and Paris Saint-Germain with great optimism. Even Köln’s billy goat mascot had to admit on Wednesday evening that this Bayern team makes you hungry for more.
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