The footballers of FC Carl Zeiss Jena have gained some breathing space in the Bundesliga relegation battle with their first win of the season. On the 18th matchday, the promoted team came away with a lucky 1:0 (0:0) at 1. FC Köln. Melina Reuter scored the goal (56th minute) in front of 1,620 spectators at the Franz Kremer Stadium.
Jena's success means they now have seven points on the board and have leapfrogged Cologne, who are level on points, into penultimate place thanks to their superior goal difference.
Jena were lucky as early as the sixth minute when Cologne's Laura Donhauser struck the post of the empty goal from five meters out and Alena Bienz fired the rebound over the still-empty goal from eight meters. Cologne continued to dominate the game and there was no sign of Jena.
Lead out of nowhere
The visitors' lead was all the more surprising: A deflected shot from Isabella Jaron could only be deflected by Cologne goalkeeper Paula Hoppe at the feet of Reuter, who then crossed the ball over Hoppe and over the line.
The hosts stepped up the pressure, but were again unable to take advantage of the best shooting opportunities. After Fiona Gaißer was shown a yellow card (67'), Jena pulled back even further, but Cologne were unable to find a way through the compact defense.
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