It was almost a year to the day since Xabi Alonso took over. It was meant to be his day. Köln, Bayer Leverkusen’s near neighbours from 15 minutes down the road who don’t even see them as their deadliest rivals – that honour is left to Borussia Mönchengladbach – were hoping that this would be their own crossroads. How it all ended up at 5.20pm on Sunday was an unequivocal verdict, one that made us feel daft for ever doubting.
Alonso’s historical precedent overrode Köln’s. Pre-match, with little to encourage them in form or fettle, Effzeh fans looked back nearly four years to December 2019, when a gritty and unexpected 2-0 win over Leverkusen kicked them into a revival under Markus Gisdol, powering them up and away from their last close brush with relegation. Köln had won the last derby too against Alonso’s side in May, taking advantage of superior opponents flagging under the strain of a run to the Europa League semi-finals with two goals from Davie Selke at BayArena.
