Hoffenheim entered the match aiming to maintain their five-point lead over fifth place and controlled possession in the opening 10 minutes, but they ultimately failed to capitalise and allowed Köln to gain momentum. Die Geißböcke took the lead in the 15th minute when Said El Mala’s cross was swept into the top-left corner by a sensational finish from Ragnar Ache.
The hosts tested Oliver Baumann again twice in the five minutes after taking the lead with shots from Cenk Özkacar and Jakub Kaminski, but both were saved relatively comfortably by the visiting goalkeeper.
Hoffenheim grew back into the game in the first half’s latter stages and got their reward right on the brink of half-time, equalising through Ozan Kabak as the centre-back fired into the centre of the goal from the edge of the six-yard box.
The start of the second half was much more even, with both sides seeing a fair amount of the ball, but Hoffenheim’s quality did eventually come to the fore as they took the lead through Andrej Kramaric.
The Croatian forward rose highest in the centre of the box to head into the top-right corner from just inside the six-yard box.
The lead didn’t last long, though, as El Mala fired in a leveller just four minutes later by finishing off a swift counter attack, firing a low effort past Baumann and into the bottom-left corner.
Following the two quickfire goals, Hoffenheim assumed control of the game but Christian Ilzer’s men struggled to create a chance that caused any major issues for Marvin Schwabe.
Koln were able to hold on to secure a draw against high-flying Hoffenheim, moving five points adrift of Werder Bremen who occupy the relegation playoff position.
Meanwhile, Hoffenheim stay third in the Bundesliga table but could see their current six-point cushion cut to three points should results go against them in this weekend’s remaining games.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Said El Mala (FC Koln)
