Bayer Leverkusen beat Cologne 2–1 away in the Rhine derby on matchday nine of the Bundesliga. The visitors took an early lead and held on to it until the end of the match, played at the „RheinEnergieStadion“.
Aleix García opened the scoring in the seventh minute with a direct free-kick. The Spanish midfielder sent the ball over the wall and it went in under the crossbar, leaving the Cologne goalkeeper with no chance to react. Bayer went into the break with a 1–0 lead.
In the first half, Carles Martínez’s side controlled 64.8 percent of possession and attempted seven shots, five of which were on target. Cologne had a few chances to equalise but failed to turn them into a goal.
Before the match, Martínez emphasised the importance of the derby:
„We understand how important this match is. We want to give our fans a great day and fight for a victory for them.“Bayer Leverkusen entered the match in fifth place with 16 points, while Cologne were 15th with nine points. The victory strengthens the visitors’ position in the upper part of the table, while the hosts remain in the bottom half of the standings.
Sources: t-online.de, fckolnnews.de, bundesliga.com