Hoffenheim 3-0 Cologne
Goals: 1-0 Kramaric (pen. 7'), 2-0 Baumgartner (28'), 3-0 Kramaric (pen. 75')

Hoffenheim made the perfect start when Ihlas Bebou won a penalty for a shot that hit the arm of Sava-Arnagel Cestic. Kramaric duly delivered from 12 yards, hoodwinking Timo Horn with a cheeky panenka attempt for his 73rd Bundesliga goal, and 11th of the current campaign. The visitors were in complete control as Kramaric forced Horn into a finger-tip save with a wicked effort from the edge of the area, before Christoph Baumgartner added an audacious second goal. The Austrian redirected Mijat Gacinovic's volley following a corner into the back of the net, completely wrong-footing a dumbfounded Horn. Cologne coach Markus Gisdol responded with a double change, throwing on Jorge Mere and Jan Thielmann. The Billy Goats were all the better for it, with Marius Wolf denied at close-range by Oliver Baumann and striking a post from a corner, either side of a long-range Kramaric strike that sailed narrowly wide.

Kramaric was heavily involved after the restart, lifting a free-kick a yard or two over on the hour. Sebastian Rudy released the Croatian sharpshooter with Hoffenheim's next meaningful attack, but his touch past the advancing Horn was a shade on the heavy side and, under pressure from the back-tracking Jannes Horn, he could not keep the ball in play. Gisdol's final role of the dice, following the introduction of winger Ismail Jakobs and former Hoffenheim forward Anthony Modeste, was to replace captain Jonas Hector with midfielder Elvis Rexhbecaj. Cologne showed renewed purpose in the closing stages, only for Kramaric to all but end the game as a contest with his second successful penalty following Modeste's clumsy foul on Baumgartner. The away side had the opportunity to reduce the arrears when Stefan Posch was adjudged to have impeded Wolf in the box, but Modeste's spot-kick was saved by Baumann.

TSG Hoffenheim Hoffenheim - KOE Cologne Cologne

Kramaric into the record books as Hoffenheim down Cologne