A late strike from Pawel Olkowski handed FC Koln a 4-3 victory over Hoffenheim in a thrilling encounter at the Rhein-Neckar Arena this evening.
The two sides shared six goals in the first half, but it was Olkowski's second of the afternoon which made the difference as Hoffenheim missed the opportunity to climb into the top four.
Hoffenheim made the perfect start as Adam Szalai handed the hosts the lead in just the second minute with a low effort which managed to squeeze past Timo Horn at the near post.
However, their joy was short-lived as Olkowski equalised three minutes later with a powerful half-volley from the edge of the box.
A third goal inside the first 12 minutes went to Koln, who took the lead when Matthias Lehmann curled a free kick into the top corner to give Oliver Baumann no chance of keeping the ball out.
The visitors appeared to be on course for a comfortable win later in the first half as Anthony Ujah made it 3-1 by bursting through the Hoffenheim defence before rounding Baumann and tapping home.
There would be more drama before the interval though, as Roberto Firmino struck twice to get his side back on level terms.
He would reduce the deficit with a low strike from the edge of the box after exchanging passes with Kevin Volland, before linking with the same teammate to head home the equaliser at the back post.
The second half would not contain the same amount of attacking action, but it could have been a different story had Pirmin Schwegler not dragged a shot wide after being found by Szalai.
Koln refused to settle for the point, and their approach was rewarded seven minutes from time as Olkowski secured the win in spectacular fashion by picking out the top corner from the edge of the box.
Callum Mulvihill
