SC Paderborn 07 won a thriller against 1. FC Köln in the 2. Bundesliga in a game that had just about everything.

Simon Terodde twice gave the hosts the lead, only for Paderborn to equalise both times through Babacar Gueye and Philipp Klement.

After Klement gave Paderborn the lead, Jhon Córdoba equalised with a rare goal, but after Jonas Hector was sent off, Bernard Tekpetey and Sven Michel scored to complete an incredible victory.

Terodde finally scores before Gueye responds

After an equally-entertaining 5-3 win over FC St. Pauli before the international break, Köln made three changes to their side, with Matthias Bader, Jorge Meré and Marco Höger coming in. The latter’s inclusion allowed Hector to return to left-back having been playing in the holding role. A deadline day signing from Hannover 96, Gueye was handed a debut by Paderborn, with Mohamed Dräger also coming in to the side that drew with VfL Bochum last time out.

The early signs suggested there could be plenty of goals here too. Dominick Drexler headed wide early for Köln, before Klaus Gjasula and Uwe Hünemeier missed the target for Paderborn. Terodde then had the ball in the net, turning in Jannes Horn’s cross with his second touch, but the offside flag denied him what would have been a tenth goal of the season, in all competitions, in just his fifth match.

15 minutes later the flag denied him again after he managed to chip the ball over Leopold Zingerle having strayed too early past the last man again. Before then, Paderborn nearly scored Köln’s opening goal for them, twice, with both Jamilu Collins and Hünemeier putting Horn crosses over their own bar. The latter had come off the arm of Dräger right on the edge of the box, but that was disregarded by referee Markus Schmidt.

After Michel went wide for Paderborn, Terodde missed another good chance with a poor touch in the middle, but shortly after he finally got his goal. Höger got the ball forward from midfield, and it was crossed in by Drexler. Paderborn’s defenders thought Terodde was offside again before putting it in, but this time the assistant referee’s flag did not go up and he had his tenth goal of the season.

The lead lasted for only 75 seconds though. Michel tested the hands of Timo Horn, who failed to hold onto it as he made the save. Gueye pounced and capitalised by putting the ball into the back of the net to mark his first appearance with a first goal in senior German football. It stayed 1-1 up until the break, although Horn had to put a long-range Klement free-kick over the bar in the latter stages.

Klement double puts Paderborn ahead

Köln needed eight minutes of the second half to restore their advantage, with Terodde unsurprisingly scoring again. It was a well-worked team goal though, with Louis Schaub finding Drexler, with Schaub arriving in the middle leaving the cross for Terodde to put in at the far post.

It felt as though the Billy Goats could kick on from here, especially after a Christian Clemens cross just passed Schaub in the middle soon after the second goal. Paderborn refused to give in though and although it didn’t come quite as quickly, they were able to draw level again. An excellent through ball from Hünemeier found Klement, whose distance from the goal was no barrier as he struck excellently past Horn.

It would get even better for them soon after. Dräger gave Jannes Horn the run-around on the edge of the box, with the Köln player eventually pulling him back, with Schmidt pointing to the spot. Klement couldn’t add to his earlier goal with the penalty, which was poor and kept out by Timo Horn, but the save wasn’t enough and Klement beat Bader to the loose ball and scored with the rebound.

The hosts had fallen apart at the back and they were unfortunate not to concede a fourth. Christopher Antwi-Adjej had an effort put wide by Horn, but a cross from Tekpetey should have been converted by Gueye but he couldn’t connect. He would be forced off injured soon after.

Late drama as Paderborn seal win

Köln would up the pressure as they moved into the final ten minutes. Zingerle made a double save off Hector and Terodde before denying the Köln frontman again with a good block. A couple of corners later, and a loose ball fell to unmarked substitute Córdoba, who accepted the invitation to shoot and equalised, his first goal in just over a year for the club.

Just before the goal, Hector had been booked, and a few minutes later he conceded a free-kick after fouling Michel. There wasn’t anything malicious in it, but after some deliberation Schmidt showed him a second yellow, and Köln’s skipper was off.

Paderborn then went back into the lead. Sebastian Vasiliadis and Lasse Sobiech had just come on, and the Paderborn player beat the latter before crossing in for Tekpetey to make it 4-3.

Worse was to come for Köln, as after Michel put a great chance to get a fifth, he didn’t make the same mistake when found by Klement, who laid the ball of and Michel completed an incredible win for Paderborn.