Unexpected chance for 3rd place: Who sends white sausages to Cologne?

Created: 05/02/2022, 1:00 p.m

By: Uli Kellner

That's where the bear taps: The 1860 professionals heart their twice successful top scorer.

© Stefan Matzke / Sampics

1860 hopes for promotion again, but needs three more lucky coincidences: victory in Magdeburg, FCK bankruptcy in Cologne plus a final three against Dortmund II.

Does the lion still get a paw on the door to the 2nd division?

After the mandatory home win against relegated Havelse (3-0), trips to Magdeburg were booked in the ranks, table constellations were calculated and immoral forms of opponent motivation discussed (motto: 1000 white sausages to Cologne).

And Michael Koellner?

While still on the pitch, he swore his team to the new promotion opportunity that Dortmund II had made possible with a surprising 3-1 win at 1. FC Kaiserslautern.

"We just found out from the coach," reported midfield boss Quirin Moll when he switched from the team to the reporters' group at the fence after the final whistle.

The relegation calculation outlined here and there: 1860 must win at champion Magdeburg on Saturday, hope that Lautern also fails at Viktoria Köln on Sunday – to do it better six days later against Dortmund than the Palatinate, who were free on the last day of the game.

If all three of these cases occur, 1860 would solve the playoff ticket with a simple win against the BVB reserve.

Theoretically, a FCK draw in Cologne could also be enough for 1860, but hardly anyone in the Löwenlager, who are 13 goals behind, believes in the flood of goals required for this.

In short: Braunschweig (six points ahead) should be through, FCK (five ahead) have their fate in their own hands, but can only get three points - in 1860 ideally six.

Moll shortened the what-if debate briefly and succinctly: "We'll see it through to the end, and then we'll see what comes of it."

We'll see it through to the end and then we'll see what comes of it.

1860 leader Quirin Moll

On Saturday, thanks were due to central defender Semi Belkahia, who was there with a shoulder after a tough first half (51'), before Marcel Bär let the bear tap and conquered first place in the top scorer list with a brace.

"In games like this, when the opponent is standing low or parking a bus, it's often the case that you have to push one in with standards," said Moll.

And addressed with a wink to Bär, who later found the necessary precision in the end (81st, 89th): "I just said to him: What meters we walk for him so that he does the things - he has to figure something out come up with."

More goals, for example - on Saturday in Magdeburg and in the season finale against Dortmund II on May 14th.

Blockade solver Belkahia, who Köllner believes is capable of playing in the first division in the medium term, assesses the table constellation as follows: “I would say we have nothing to lose.

We still have two games left, they're not easy either, but if we do our homework and get two wins, anything can happen."

Löwen remember the 2:5 in the first leg against Magdeburg

And what does the coach, who never tires of predicting an exciting season finale, say?

"The problem is that the journalists never really listen to me," he joked, switching back to his tactical low-stack mode: "Jokes aside.

We still have two games and want to finish fourth so that we can be in the DFB Cup next season.

For us, the situation is now rather undramatic.”

It was leader Moll who sent a declaration of war in the direction of Magdeburg, ready to disrupt the FCM championship celebrations - and to make amends for the 2:5 home defeat: "We have to remember what was in the first leg - we have it there we definitely have something good to do.

That alone is motivation enough.”