1. FC Köln defeated VfB Stuttgart at the Mercedes-Benz Arena with a late flurry including four goals in the final twenty minutes, running out 3-1 winners courtesy of a clinical and opportunistic display.
Both the hosts Stuttgart and the visitors Koln will have been looking to build upon last season, heading into a new campaign with a great deal of optimism.
Both eager for maximum points on opening weekend
Köln did well upon their return to the top flight, finishing in 12th place, while Stuttgart avoided the relegation play-off by the slender margin of one point. The two teams finished just four points apart despite this, causing both teams to look down rather than up.
The Mercedes-Benz Arena was rocking as the teams made their way onto the pitch, the Swabians putting on a great show as the cauldron of noise was added to from the travelling support.
Rocking atmosphere got crowd geared up for intriguing affair
A remarkable statistic made this encounter point towards disappointment for Stuttgart, as the home side had not won a fixture between the two teams in the last 17 meetings, with nine away wins and eight draws. Add to this the fact that the last time Stuttgart beat Köln at home was back in September 1996, 19 years ago, and the odds didn't look good for VfB.
The drama started quickly as Köln almost took the lead inside the second minute - Matthias Lehmann drilling a shot towards the near left post that struck the inside of the woodwork and bounced away to safety. Daniel Didavi then took his turn to rattle the woodwork just five minutes later as he found a yard of space outside the area, unleashing a fierce dipping effort that crashed off the crossbar, again bouncing to safety.
After such a chaotic start it was no surprise that the game took a lull of sorts, with the referee taking centre stage due to a number of rough tackles in the battle for dominance. Timo Horn was called into action in the 22nd minute, as an Adam Hlousek header was turned over the bar spectacularly.
Hlousek was then involved in a controversial incident five minutes later as Anthony Modeste was played through on goal during a Köln counter attack, and as the forward went down there were some anxious glances towards referee Stark, but it was a clear challenge and his decision reflected this.
Goal-less at the break despite few chances
Just six minutes before the break, new Cologne signing Leonardo Bittencourt hit a sweet low drive that whistled past Tyton's right-hand post. At half-time, the game was 0-0, despite Stuttgart having the better of play and chances. For Zomiger's side, it was a case of having to be more clinical in front of goal, while Cologne's tactic was clearly to try and hit the Swabians on the break.
Early in the second half, though, Daniel Ginczek was left to rue his chance after volleying over from just eight yards when he should have scored. Cologne were almost caught napping again just moments later when a scuffed shot following a scramble in the box was well saved.
Jonas Hector provided heroics in the 55th minute as a perfect cross was headed goalwards by Martin Harnik, clearing off the line, with Stuttgart wondering just what they had to do to break the deadlock. The shots at this stage read 17-5 in favour of the hosts.
Pawel Olkowski crossed towards substitute Yuya Osako two minutes later and it required a nervous clearance, just serving as a reminder to VfB that there was another team in the game. Harnik was again involved after he found himself through on goal following a charged down clearance, but he went too wide and his shot from a tight angle caused no problems.
Just a minute later, Harnik once again spurned a big chance by shooting straight at the goalkeeper after bundling through goalwards. Stuttgart had failed to capitalise on so many good opportunities, and the home fans must have been wondering if this just wasn't their day. In a surprising move given the flow of the game, Peter Stöger chose to introduce Simon Zoller in place of full-back Olkowski, aiming to instantly change the tide of the game and create some chances of their own.
Game flipped on its head in dramatic fashion
The game was to turn fully on its head in the 74th minute, as Modeste sprinted through before being brought down by Tyton. Suddenly, Köln had a penalty, and a chance to snatch the spoils completely against the run of the game. The Frenchman stepped up and somehow converted from twelve yards despite a tame penalty; Tyton only able to parry into the inside netting, and the Billy Goats had the 1-0 lead.
Just moments after kick-off, Köln doubled their advantage courtesy of Zoller, who calmly finished past Tyton after Stuttgart lapsed at the back. The home opener had completely capitulated for the Swabians; from nowhere the visitors had seemingly sealed the three points with a quick brace.
The drama wasn't finished, as another penalty was awarded in the 79th minute, with Kostic brought down by Zoller completing a 90 second hero-to-zero transition. Daniel Didavi reduced the arrears to 1-2 as he coolly tucked away the spot kick, and all of a sudden Stuttgart had more than ten minutes to find a leveller.
Didavi had a rather desperate strike from 25 yards easily saved with the hosts beginning to panic as normal time wound down. VfB had a quick succession of three corners during the three minutes of time added on with even the goalkeeper Tyton making his way into the opponents area, but it came to nothing.
As a result, Köln were able to finally steal the three points as Modeste and Osako broke away, the former squaring to the Japan international who had an empty net and made it three-one.
So, it was three points for the visitors on matchday one, continuing the ridiculous trend that this fixture has set. Despite dominating large stretches of the game, Alexander Zomiger's side were left licking their wounds for not being clinical enough, with nobody to blame but themselves for not taking a commanding lead. A typical Stöger performance matched with a deal of solidity allowed Cologne to claim all three points as they made the ideal start to their 2015-16 campaign.