René Wagner says Köln deserved a point after late Frankfurt defeat

Wagner rues late concession as Köln fall 1-0 in Frankfurt

Cologne head coach René Wagner believes his team showed enough quality to take a point from Eintracht Frankfurt despite slipping to a 1-0 defeat at Deutsche Bank Park.

The only goal of the game came in the 77th minute from new Germany international Younes Ebnoutalib, whose strike ended Köln’s winless run away from home and stretched it to 16 games.

Speaking after the Matchday 6 Bundesliga fixture, Wagner highlighted a positive first-half approach and a courageous second-half response.

"After the first half, we wanted to remain courageous," Wagner started his verdict in his post-match interview. "We came out strong, weathered a period of sustained pressure from Eintracht well, and countered their attacks effectively. I believe that with one or two better transitions, we could have been more effective in defending."

The defeat comes after derby delight against Borussia Mönchengladbach and raises pressure on the 38-year-old coach, who was first hired as an interim in March.

Wagner acknowledged Frankfurt’s quality on the decisive move.

"Frankfurt possesses incredible quality, as seen with their goal. The assist was unbelievable. Towards the end, we applied pressure again in the final third. But our final pass wasn't accurate enough. Nevertheless, it was a good away game, with a disappointing result. We deserved at least a point."

Köln now face back-to-back home fixtures against Schalke and Union Berlin in the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal.