Striker Anthony Modeste from 1. FC Köln later declared the 3-2 win at VfL Wolfsburg to be a personal settlement with VfL sports director Jörg Schmadtke.

“I'm happy today because we played and won against Wolfsburg.

That is the team from Schmadtke, "said the two-time goalscorer of the ARD-Sportschau.

He later made a similar statement in a Sky interview.

“You always meet twice in life.

It's nice to win here and send Wolfsburg into crisis. "

Schmadtke and the 33-year-old Frenchman were simultaneously - and initially successfully - employed in Cologne from 2015 to 2017. The break apparently occurred in the summer of 2017 around Modeste's transfer to the Chinese club Tianjin Quanjian. The striker claimed at the time that he preferred to stay in Cologne. The then FC manager accused him several times of telling the untruth.

Schmadtke left Cologne two months later, Modeste returned to FC in November 2018. On Wednesday evening he scored the goal to equalize 1-1 in the 34th minute of the Cologne win in Wolfsburg and in the end also scored the late winner (89th). Florian Kohfeldt, on the other hand, was completely served. “In the end you shouldn't concede goals like that,” said the VfL Wolfsburg coach. Despite an increase in performance and a two-time lead, his team suffered their sixth defeat in a row on Wednesday evening.

From Wolfsburg's point of view, this important home game tipped over again because VfL suffered serious dropouts in defense and because FC coach Steffen Baumgart gave the right impulses from outside.

Kingsley Schindler, who had just been substituted, prepared the 2-2 for Mark Uth, who had just been substituted on (73rd).

And he gave the two-time goalscorer Modeste the late winning goal.

"Substitutions worked"

"It is obvious that we are simply not defending well enough at the moment," said VfL sports director Marcel Schäfer on Sky.

“The team tried hard to show a reaction.” However, they cannot deal well with setbacks at the moment.

"That is bitter.

That is a very big disappointment, another setback. "

Lukas Nmecha met in front of 5000 spectators in the eighth minute for VfL.

A mistake by national player Ridle Baku enabled the Cologne team to equalize in the first half by Modeste (34th).

On the 2: 1 by Wout Weghorst after excellent preparatory work by Dodi Lukebakio (51.), FC even had two answers through Uth and Modeste.

"The substitutions worked well," said Baumgart succinctly.

Having started the season as a Champions League participant, the Wolfsburg-based company is now only threatened with a slight lead over the relegation place in the winter break.

Because in their last first round game it goes to FC Bayern Munich on Friday evening.

The two Nmecha brothers Lukas and Felix started together for the first time at VfL against Cologne.

And that paid off immediately.

Felix Nmecha first tested the Cologne goalkeeper Marvin Schwänke with a dangerous finish (2nd), then his brother, who had already been appointed to the senior national team, was successful after a counterattack.

The 23-year-old scored his sixth goal of the season on his birthday after a presentation by Baku, which the Nmechas cheered together.

Kohfeldt screamed his joy on the sidelines - at the beginning the game was still according to his imagination.

“That must be the moment when you take the knife between your teeth and say: We'll fight back now,” the coach said before the game.

And first of all, the Wolfsburg team played with speed and courage again, very differently than in the past few weeks.

However, the uncertainties cannot be eliminated overnight.

Due to a mistake by Baku, the ball came to Florian Kainz in the VfL penalty area, who only hit the crossbar - but Modeste was there to follow up.

In the end, such dropouts weighed heavier at VfL than all good approaches in the game forward.

After the renewed leadership, VfL had to do without Lukas Nmecha, who was treated badly and could no longer play.

Baumgart also changed - and how!

Cologne earned this victory in the end because, unlike the ailing Wolfsburgers, the team never let up.

“It was easy to see what we wanted.

But we didn't make enough of it.

In the end, you shouldn't concede goals like this.

That's why we can't talk about a good game today, ”said Kohfeldt.