It was one of the most spectacular games of the fall term when FC Koeln and Borussia Dortmund faced off in the RheinEnergieStadion. As they had earlier in the season, the Schwarz-Gelben waited until after the 90th minute to take three points. In that match, the duel between Nuri Sahin and Lukas Podolski took centre stage with all the drama and suspense of a Western movie.
Kuba Overcomes Varvodic; Podolski, Weidenfeller
With Faryd Mondragon benched for disciplinary reasons, die Geissboecke, then under coach Zvonimir Soldo, had to rely on youngster Miro Varvodic to tend the goal in his Bundesliga debut. The newcomer was tidy at the back, but ultimately could not keep out the scrappy opening goal from Jakub 'Kuba' Blaszczykowski.
The goal sparked life into the home team, and spectators in the cathedral city went on to witness an open exchange of blows with chances from both sides. Only after 82 minutes did Podolski manage to overcome Roman Weidenfeller with a long-ranged beauty. He thought he had earned his side a point, but there was still a stunning finale to be played.
"Three to Zero"
In the closing minutes, Sahin and 'Prinz Poldi' had a an altercation that earned them both a booking. With his fingers, the DFB international signaled "three to zero" to his counterpart, referencing Germany's 3-0 win over Turkey in a recent Euro qualifier in Berlin. This gesture gave even more zest to the match: the Dortmund man took Podolski's provocation as motivation, and moments later scored a last-gasp winner. As he was mobbed by team-mates, Sahin sprinted to the centre circle where he gloated in front of a dejected Podolski. "We were full of adrenaline," recalls Weidenfeller, who ran halfway up the pitch to celebrate the goal, "it was great to have paid back Podolski."
The Prince Of Beatings
For days, the sporting and unsporting conduct of Podolski, an already controversial figure, was discussed. Previously, he had come under fire for slapping Germany captain Michael Ballack during a match in April 2009. On top of that, after a friendly loss to Argentina last March, he was accused of having attacked a reporter who had sneered: "Your best spell was when you were warming up." Months later, the 'Prince of Beatings' provoked 1860 Munich fans in a DFB Pokal match in Koen.
"If somebody comes to me and apologises, then he deserves my respect."
The skirmish with Sahin proved to be purely of a sporting nature and did not escalate further. Both players fought hard on the pitch, and buried the hatchet after the game. "We have resolved our differences," said Podolski, who sought Sahin to shake hands in the tunnel following the match. "We fought on the pitch. That happens sometimes, but we then have to offer a truce. Sahin agreed: "For both of us this was done quickly. He apologised, I excused myself. We shook hands in the tunnel. If someone comes to me and apologises, then he deserves my respect. That is why there is no big story to make of it. Emotions are part of it; after all, much was at stake.
Although in the last few weeks there have been some "hot" scenes on the Bundesliga pitches - players have shown nerves and provoked red cards - little scenes like between Sahin and Podolski can set the stage for a real showdown. And one can expect such a showdown on Friday at the Westfalenstadion, as the in-form pair lock horns once more.
Since then, Podolski has rediscovered his form in front of goal: with six strikes to his name in the spring campaign, the 25-year-old is only equalled by Mario Gomez. However, over the season as a whole, Sahin has clearly outplayed the Koeln man: he has made more than twice as many touches as Podolski, who has played only one game less, and has earned more scorer points.
* Only one of the last 10 matches ended with more than one goal
* Koeln have won only one of their last 10 matches against Dortmund (2003)
* Koeln have lost the last five away games in Dortmund
Sahin: Twice As Many Wins And Goals Against Podolski
Goal.com also analysed the history of all encounters in which the two players faced off on the pitch: again, the record clearly speaks best for Sahin, who has scored twice as many goals and been on the winning team twice as many times as Podolski.
Ahead of Friday's match, Koeln coach Frank Schaefer said: "One can assume that there will be whistling against Poldi. He will have to adjust. One should not think too much of it, but I'll talk to Lukas about it. Lukas has evolved and is now our captain. He must not get too carried away with things that have nothing to do with football. I hope the issue with Sahin will not be on his mind during the game."
Kuba Overcomes Varvodic; Podolski, Weidenfeller
With Faryd Mondragon benched for disciplinary reasons, die Geissboecke, then under coach Zvonimir Soldo, had to rely on youngster Miro Varvodic to tend the goal in his Bundesliga debut. The newcomer was tidy at the back, but ultimately could not keep out the scrappy opening goal from Jakub 'Kuba' Blaszczykowski.
The goal sparked life into the home team, and spectators in the cathedral city went on to witness an open exchange of blows with chances from both sides. Only after 82 minutes did Podolski manage to overcome Roman Weidenfeller with a long-ranged beauty. He thought he had earned his side a point, but there was still a stunning finale to be played.
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Statistical Breakdown, Koeln 1-2 Dortmund
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| Sahin 1 87 3 46 (84%) 16 4 9 | Goals Touches Shots Completed Passes Lost Balls Challenges Won Shots Assisted | Podolski 1 46 6 16 (76%) 10 4 1 |
In the closing minutes, Sahin and 'Prinz Poldi' had a an altercation that earned them both a booking. With his fingers, the DFB international signaled "three to zero" to his counterpart, referencing Germany's 3-0 win over Turkey in a recent Euro qualifier in Berlin. This gesture gave even more zest to the match: the Dortmund man took Podolski's provocation as motivation, and moments later scored a last-gasp winner. As he was mobbed by team-mates, Sahin sprinted to the centre circle where he gloated in front of a dejected Podolski. "We were full of adrenaline," recalls Weidenfeller, who ran halfway up the pitch to celebrate the goal, "it was great to have paid back Podolski."
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Bundesliga Record
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| Sahin 22 129 13 | Age Bundesliga Matches Bundesliga Goals | Podolski 25 172 49 |
The Prince Of Beatings
For days, the sporting and unsporting conduct of Podolski, an already controversial figure, was discussed. Previously, he had come under fire for slapping Germany captain Michael Ballack during a match in April 2009. On top of that, after a friendly loss to Argentina last March, he was accused of having attacked a reporter who had sneered: "Your best spell was when you were warming up." Months later, the 'Prince of Beatings' provoked 1860 Munich fans in a DFB Pokal match in Koen.
"If somebody comes to me and apologises, then he deserves my respect."|
Season Comparison
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| Sahin 24 24 2119 2139 6 8 14 39 321 51 1440 71 | Matches Played Starts Minutes Played Touches Goals Assists Scorer Points Shots Challenges Engaged % Challenges Won Passes Attempted % Passes Completed | Podolski 23 23 1983 1078 10 3 13 46 225 45 619 70 |
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Spring Campaign Record
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| Sahin 2 2 | Goals Assists | Podolski 6 0 |
Although in the last few weeks there have been some "hot" scenes on the Bundesliga pitches - players have shown nerves and provoked red cards - little scenes like between Sahin and Podolski can set the stage for a real showdown. And one can expect such a showdown on Friday at the Westfalenstadion, as the in-form pair lock horns once more.
Since then, Podolski has rediscovered his form in front of goal: with six strikes to his name in the spring campaign, the 25-year-old is only equalled by Mario Gomez. However, over the season as a whole, Sahin has clearly outplayed the Koeln man: he has made more than twice as many touches as Podolski, who has played only one game less, and has earned more scorer points.
| Dortmund - Koeln | Dortmund - Bayern | Turkey - Germany | All Matches |
| N. Sahin – Podolski 3 Games 3 1 Goals 1 2 Wins 0 1 Draws 1 | N. Sahin – Podolski 2 Games 2 0 Goals 0 1 Wins 1 0 Draws 0 | N. Sahin – Podolski 2 Games 2 1 Goals 0 1 Wins 1 0 Draws 0 | N. Sahin – Podolski 7 Games 7 2 Goals 1 4 Wins 2 1 Draws 1 |
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Bundesliga History
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| BVB 75 31 19 115 44 | Meetings Wins Draws Goals Years in Bundesliga | Köln 75 25 19 113 42 |
* Only one of the last 10 matches ended with more than one goal
* Koeln have won only one of their last 10 matches against Dortmund (2003)
* Koeln have lost the last five away games in Dortmund
Sahin: Twice As Many Wins And Goals Against Podolski
Goal.com also analysed the history of all encounters in which the two players faced off on the pitch: again, the record clearly speaks best for Sahin, who has scored twice as many goals and been on the winning team twice as many times as Podolski.
Ahead of Friday's match, Koeln coach Frank Schaefer said: "One can assume that there will be whistling against Poldi. He will have to adjust. One should not think too much of it, but I'll talk to Lukas about it. Lukas has evolved and is now our captain. He must not get too carried away with things that have nothing to do with football. I hope the issue with Sahin will not be on his mind during the game."