Even in this most optimistic of football cities, there were days when it felt like this one would never come. If it sometimes feels as if their never-moping, always-atmospheric RheinEnergieStadion has almost otherworldly powers, there had only been one previous win for FC Köln there this season, in the derby against Borussia Mönchengladbach – way back – in October. It has been a season of slim pickings, and then some.
A lot has happened since then, if not much in the way of wins, points or even goals; a transfer ban, a slew of injuries and the departure of a beloved coach in Steffen Baumgart. Yet with Carnival on the horizon in the city of Cologne, which celebrates it like no other, the festivities getting under way in the streets at 11.11am on Thursday, this was the aperitif, whetting the appetite with a soupçon of the traditional joy and chaos.
