Gladbach and Köln share spoils as wild Rhine derby fails to offer clarity | Andy Brassell
Köln led twice at Borussia-Park but still needed an equaliser from Damion Downs, a 19-year-old substitute, to salvage a point
“In our situation,” said Köln’s Faride Alidou, “you have to take every point.” There was a qualification coming. “Even if,” he said, “we’re not satisfied.” It was understandable. On another day the attacking midfielder, growing in status and confidence under new (ish) coach Timo Schultz, could have been the derby hero away at Borussia Mönchengladbach, twice putting his team in front with emphatic finishes after deliveries from his captain, Florian Kainz.
In the end, he wasn’t even close, with so much happening in what Kainz described as a “totally wild game.” Even someone as balanced as the captain struggled to find the words or, it seemed, the thoughts to frame it accurately. “We have to analyse this properly,” he said after the 3-3 draw. “But so soon after the game, it’s still difficult to say.”
