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TSG earn hard-fought point at Köln
Line-up and tactics:
Huub Stevens opted for a 4-4-2 formation with four changes to the starting XI compared to the side that lost 1-0 against Hamburger SV. Sebastian Rudy, Jin-Su Kim, Pavel Kaderabek and Mark Uth found themselves in the team, while Jeremy Toljan and Adam Szalai dropped to the bench and Ermin Bicakcic and Kevin Volland served suspensions.
Oliver Baumann stood between the sticks as per usual, with his defence made up of Kaderabek, Strobl, Süle and Kim. The second row of four consisted of Rudy, Polanski, Schwegler and Schmid, while Eduardo Vargas and former Köln striker Mark Uth led the line.
TSG defended quite deep with Vargas and Uth only pressing the opposition shortly before they reached the halfway line. In the centre they looked to have a compact shape, which mean that Köln were often forced to operate with long balls forward.
In the second half, Stevens brought on Toljan, Kuranyi and Amiri, who all integrated themselves well and helped out defensively. In the end, Hoffenheim earned themselves a deserved point.
Moment of the match:
The final minute of stoppage time in the second half has begun and Anthony Modeste plays a long ball into Hoffenheim's penalty area. It's very hectic but Kim and Baumann are able to clear the ball from the danger zone - together as a team, just as Stevens had demanded.
Numbers of the match: 1 & 1,000
It was the first point for Huub Stevens as TSG manager. On his way to this point, he made his 1,000th substitution in the Bundesliga – what a stat!
Match facts and statistics »
