At the last minute and with a bit of VAR luck, 1. FC Köln still drew at Eintracht Frankfurt.

Coach Steffen Baumgart's team had to tremble for a long time at 1-1 (0-0) in the Bundesliga on Sunday, whether referee Martin Petersen and the video assistants would recognize Jan Thielmann's equalizing goal (82nd).

It was about the tricky question of whether striker Florian Dietz, who was slightly offside, might have blocked goalkeeper Kevin Trapp's view.

Previously, Daichi Kamada had scored just two minutes after being substituted for the Europa League winner (71st).

In front of 50,800 spectators, the hosts were lucky when head coach Oliver Glasner scored the lead for the team when Jonas Hector deflected the ball slightly with his head.

This means that Eintracht remains without a win in the eleventh game in a row.

Glasner had switched to a four-man defense for the Hessians after his back team had often wobbled.

"We need balance in duels and aggressiveness, that's why I decided to do it," said the Austrian at DAZN.

Juventus loanee Luca Pellegrini was allowed to play on the left from the start after Almamy Touré was also absent.

With the agile Dortmund new signing Steffen Tigges and the rather inconspicuous former Hoffenheim Sargis Adamyan, the Cologne team stormed.

Captain Sebastian Rode in his 200th Bundesliga game and Djibril Sow in Frankfurt's defensive midfield ensured that the guests' build-up was repeatedly disturbed.

Before that, world champion Mario Götze, who had only really impressed in the cup win in Magdeburg, and Jesper Lindström tried to find gaps in the opposing defense in front of the eyes of national coach Hansi Flick.

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Junior Dina Ebimbe, who was loaned out on Sunday, has not yet been included in the squad.

A low shot from Pellegrini to the right of the goal was pretty much the only notable chance for Frankfurt in the first half.

Then Cologne came up more and more: defender Evan Ndicka had his foot on at the last moment when Tigges shot from a few meters (38th).

Shortly thereafter, Jonas Hector hit the side netting and Adamyan tested national goalkeeper Kevin Trapp.

After the break, Lindström suddenly appeared alone in the opponent's penalty area, but avoided FC goalkeeper Marvin Schwäbe and failed to get the ball on goal.

Biting, but also more hectic, the Frankfurters now went to work.

Baumgart then strengthened his eleven with three changes in one fell swoop - including Florian Dietz, who was in good form recently.

Eintracht struggled, but Cologne held out with a cool head and duel toughness - until Kamada hit the powerless Swabian from a tight angle.

After that it got hectic – especially when Cologne equalized after video evidence.