Did Bayern Munich get lucky? Luis Diaz's 'offside' goal proved the turning point in Koln win as Didi Hamann blasts officials for crucial incident

Koln took the lead through Ragnar Ache after making a strong start to the game, testing Bayern goalkeeper Jonas Urbig on multiple occasions. The turning point came in the 36th minute when Diaz scored the equaliser in controversial fashion. Konrad Laimer drove forward into Koln’s half and laid the ball off for Josip Stanisic, whose shot was saved by goalkeeper Ron Robert Zieler. However, Zieler could only parry the ball into the path of Diaz, who tapped it into an empty net. Replays later showed that Diaz was in an offside position before scoring, but with VAR only available to referees from the third round of the DFB Pokal, the error went uncorrected and the goal stood. Bayern went on to win the match 4-1.

Former Germany and Liverpool midfielder Hamann, in his column for Sky Sport, criticised the officials for failing to spot Diaz’s offside goal, which he believed was the decisive moment of the match, saying: “To beat them [Bayern], everything has to fall into place. But if the 1-1 hadn't counted, then perhaps the second goal wouldn't have been scored either and Cologne would have gone into the break with a lead.”

He added: “It's all hypothetical, but when you concede a goal like that, it becomes difficult, if not impossible, to beat Bayern. That's not to detract from the winners' achievements. Bayern played a great game in Koln.”

The officials’ mistake proved costly, as just two minutes after Diaz’s equaliser, Harry Kane showcased his trademark off-the-ball persistence by dispossessing a Koln defender inside the box before turning and firing home to give Bayern a 2-1 lead. The England captain doubled his tally in the 62nd minute, rising highest to head in Joshua Kimmich’s corner and make it 3-1.

With Koln chasing the game, they pushed players forward, leaving gaps at the back. In the 72nd minute, Michael Olise sparked a swift counterattack, finding Aleksandar Pavlovic, who carried the ball the length of the pitch before switching it to Diaz on the opposite flank. Diaz then squared the ball back to Olise, who calmly slotted it past Zieler to seal a 4-1 victory for Bayern. The victory marked Bayern’s 14th win in 14 games across all competitions, surpassing a record set by AC Milan in the 1992-93 season. Koln coach Lukas Kwasniok praised Bayern’s relentless form, saying he sees a strong sense of determination within Vincent Kompany’s side to chase another treble, a feat the Bavarians last achieved in the 2020-21 season. 

However, Hamann argued that their treble hopes may have been dashed this week had VAR been in effect, instead of only being implemented from the third round of the DFB-Pokal. The ex-Liverpool player said the system’s partial use is unfair to teams like Koln, who have been eliminated in earlier rounds due to refereeing errors.

“The crazy thing is that teams have advanced in the DFB-Pokal due to the absence of VAR, but may benefit from it in the next rounds. That's hard for the eliminated clubs to accept,” Hamann said.

“How do you intend to explain to Koln, now that they have been eliminated, that VAR will be used from now on? That won't do them any good.

“It is not acceptable to only use the technology from the third round onwards. Either you play the entire competition with VAR, or you play the entire competition without it.”

Bayern will aim to make it 15 wins in 15 games when they face Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, as Vincent Kompany’s men look to build on their strong momentum from recent victories.