Hertha BSC fails in Cologne: defeat with 0: 1! Now what for the old lady?

Hertha BSC fails in Cologne: defeat with 0: 1! Now what for the old lady?

On the evening of April 5, 2025, Hertha BSC competed against 1. FC Köln as part of the 2nd Bundesliga, with the clear goal of continuing to break away from the relegation places. The 1. FC Köln, on the other hand, wanted to get back the lead. The game took place under intensive conditions, with 1. FC Cologne ultimately won 1-0 after Tim Lemperle scored the decisive goal in the 31st minute.

Hertha BSC had a promising start with two wins in a row, but was on the hunt after her first away win in Cologne since October 2019. In preparation, assistant coach Andre Mijatovic pointed out that it did not need any additional motivation to set the team on the game. Despite the recent successes, the balance against FC Köln was rather depressing this season; Hertha had to accept a defeat against the rival twice (0: 1 in the first leg and 1: 2 after extra time in the cup).

game course and performance

Although the encounter was intense, both teams lacked determination. Cologne was somewhat more dangerous in the crucial moments. The Berliners, led by Fabian Reese, who had scored five goals in the last three games, could not raise the necessary accuracy to dominate the field. Hertha's coaching team relied on a starting eleven consisting of Ernst, Gechter, Leistner, Kenny, Zeefuik, Demme, Winkler, Maza, Cuisance, Reese and Scherhan.

Unfortunately, Hertha was missing the right punch in order to seriously endanger the Cologne defense network. FC Köln, on the other hand, took better its chances and secured the three points with the goal of Lemperle. With this victory, the Cologne residents move to 13th place in the table and are only two points behind Hertha BSC, which now linger on the 6th place with 17 points.

after -effects and outlook

For 1. FC Köln there is now a duel against Fürth, while Hertha BSC is preparing for an upcoming meeting with Darmstadt. In the game there was yellow cards, including for Jón Dagur Þorsteinsson in the 90th minute, as well as for several other players of both teams, which also made the heated encounter illustrated. The change of trainers in the second half could also not bring about decisive turns in the course of the game.

Overall, Hertha BSC remains present in the promotion battle despite the defeat, while Cologne can go into the next games after this important victory. [RBB24] reports that the next challenges could be extremely demanding for both Hertha and Cologne. The statistics show that Cologne was only able to win one game in the last six games, while Hertha had previously remained undefeated - a sign of the high volatility in the 2nd Bundesliga this season.