Vedad Ibisevic at the double as Hertha Berlin overcome Cologne
Hertha Berlin earned their first away win of the season on Sunday evening with a 2-0 victory at bottom club Cologne.
Cologne 0-2 Hertha Berlin
Goals: 0-1 Ibisevic (17'), 0-2 Ibisevic (pen. 64')
The hosts had high hopes going into this game given Hertha's record on the road this term and their own confidence-boosting victory over Arsenal in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday. That optimism was short-lived, however, as Ibisevic prodded Hertha in front from close range after just 17 minutes as a young Cologne side - including 16-year-old debutant Yann Bisseck - struggled to deal with a corner.
Undeterred, the Billy Goats kept plugging away and were much improved after the interval, albeit without being able to create any chances of note. They were punished midway through half when Matthias Lehmann brought down Davie Selke following a swift Hertha counter-attack, allowing Ibisevic to confidently score his second of the game from the penalty spot. Cologne remain rooted to the foot of the table with just two points to show for their efforts this season, while Hertha move up to 11th.
Match stats
- Ibisevic's goal means he has now found the target in three successive Bundesliga games for the first time since 2012.Nine of Hertha's 17 league goals this term have come from set pieces, including eight of their last 12. Cologne's 16-year-old centre-back Yann Bisseck became the second-youngest player ever to appear in the Bundesliga (Dortmund's Nuri Sahin was the youngest).The Billy Goats had an extremely young squad for this game, including Nikolas Nartey (17), Birk Risa (19) and Anas Ouahim (20). Both teams have conceded six penalties already in 2017/18 - more than any other Bundesliga team.Cologne beat Hertha earlier this season - a 3-1 victory in the second round of the DFB Cup.
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Line-ups
Cologne: Horn – Bisseck, Lehmann (c), Mere – Klünter, Özcan, Jojic (Handwerker 46'), Rausch – Osako (Ouahim 72') , Pizarro, Guirassy
Subs: Kessler, Olkowski, Bittencourt, Handwerker, Risa, Ouahim, Nartey
Absentees: Heintz (thigh), Hector (knee), Risse (knee), Höger (thigh), Zoller (muscle strain), Maroh (thigh), Cordoba (thigh), Querios (fractured vertebra)
Coach: Peter Stöger
Hertha: Jarstein – Weiser, Langkamp (Torunarigha 46'), Rekik, Plattenhardt – Mittelstädt, Maier, Skjelbred, Leckie (Lazaro 84') – Selke, Ibisevic (c) (Lustenberger 84')
Subs: Kraft, Pekarik, Esswein, Kalou, Lazaro, Torunarigha, Lustenberger
Absentees: Darida (knee ligament), Schieber (knee), Stark (calf), Stocker (cruciate ligament)
Coach: Pal Dardai
Watch: Hertha match-winner Ibisevic on his scoring record against Cologne