Match day 6: FC reap rewards for impressive performance

On match day six of the season, 1. FC Köln beat FC Schalke 04 1-0 (1-0) to seal their first home win of the campaign. A capacity crowd of 50,000 at the RheinEnergieStadion saw Youssef Mohamed score what was to prove a 'Golden Goal' for the home side in the 43rd minute.

Three changes

Compared to the starting eleven which crashed out of the DFB Cup to second division Mainz in midweek, trainer Christoph Daum began with Kevin Pezzoni, Nemanja Vucicevic and Fabrice Ehret in place of Thomas Broich, Kevin McKenna and Sergiu Radu in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

FC got off to a very promising start, creating several good openings and forcing FC Schalke onto the back foot. The best chance early on fell to Milivoje Novakovic after just 19 minutes. The Slovenian striker took on a clever through ball from Pezzoni and burst forward with the goal at his mercy but was denied the opener by a wonderful reflex save by Schalke's 19 year old keeper Ralf Fährmann.

Mohamad makes the breakthrough

As the half progressed, the home side grew in confidence and had several chances to take the lead. In the 28 minute, Miso Brecko caught the complete Schalke defence unawares with a pass to Novakovic but the striker was once again denied by the reflexes of Fährmann. Seconds later, FC came even closer with a header by Roda Antar, from a Vucicevic corner, which cracked off the crossbar and away.

At the other end, German international Heiko Westermann came close with a header (32') but with many prepared to see the sides go in at half-time deadlocked, FC finally found a way through. At the end of probably Köln's best 45 minutes of the season, Vucicevic nodded on a long throw in by Pierre Wome and Mohamad headed home from close range to make it 1-0 at the break.

FC weather the storm

After the re-start, Schalke went on the offensive but Köln proved solid at the back and the only really good chance early in the half came from a free-kick which Marcelo Bordon hammered into the wall from 20 meters out.

Vucicevic came close to doubling the FC lead on a couple of occasions but there was to be no further scoring at either end. A late rally from the visitors saw a Halil Altintop header bounce away off the inside of the post, but on the night, FC were to be rewarded, for a determined and impressive performance, with three points against the league leaders.


The team line-ups

1. FC Köln: Mondragon - Brecko, Geromel, Mohamad, Wome - Petit, Pezzoni - Vucicevic (82' Radu), Antar, Ehret (78' Chihi) - Novakovic (90' McKenna)

FC Schalke 04: Fährmann - Rafinha, Bordon, Krstajic, Pander - Westermann, Jones, Engelaar (87' Asamoah) - Farfan, Kuranyi (69' Altintop), Rakitic (46' Sanchez)

Goals: 1:0 Mohamad (43.)

Attendance: 50,000

Referee: Meyer

Yellow Cards: Geromel / Rafinha, Sanchez, Farfan