Kwasniok: “We were too harmless in front of goal”

Köln left Augsburg empty-handed despite a competitive performance and coach Lukas Kwasniok did not shy away from the reality. The 2-0 loss, he argued, came down to missed opportunities, key moments, and a continued struggle to turn belief into results.

“It was a tight match. On other days, this can end in a draw,” the coach said after the final whistle. Köln had their phases in the game, particularly after growing into the contest following a difficult opening half hour. But while the visitors applied pressure at times, they failed to make it count.

“We’re missing that little bit to convert the few chances we had,” Kwasniok admitted. “In certain situations we had problems, and those cost us the game today.”

One notable decision during the match was the substitution of Eric Martel, who had been booked and was walking a disciplinary tightrope. “I had to take Martel off because he was at risk of a red card,” Kwasniok explained, making clear that the move was precautionary.

The coach also addressed the limited involvement of Said El Mala, who came on late in the game.“Thirty minutes was the maximum for him. I was happy he could play at all - he didn’t train during the week,” Kwasniok revealed.

Beyond the tactical details, the bigger issue remains Köln’s inability to translate performances into points. “We always have the feeling that we can win games. But the fact is: at the moment, we’re not managing to do it.”

Köln’s aim is to create distance from the lower end of the table, yet Augsburg proved another missed opportunity. “We want to pull away from the bottom places, but today we didn’t manage to do anything decisive to at least take a draw,” he said.

Despite the setback, Kwasniok defended his team’s mentality. “It’s rarely quiet around 1. FC Köln - whether things are going well or badly. The boys give everything, we keep marching on.” Still, he was clear about the decisive factor. “At the end of the day, we were too harmless in front of goal. On days like this, you have to fight and take a dirty 0-0. Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to do that.”

For Köln, belief remains, but as their coach openly acknowledged, belief alone is currently not enough.