In a turbulent goal fest between Cottbus and Aachen, Energie came back from a 1-2 halftime deficit to jump to second place after five wins in six games!
FC Energie Cottbus continues to ride a wave of success. Against Alemannia Aachen, the Lusatians turned a 1-2 deficit into a 3-2 victory and are now second in the table. In 16th place, Alemannia is level on points with the relegation zone. Cottbus’ Tolcay Cigerci, who scored twice and made the difference with a penalty in the 72nd minute, is now the league’s top scorer with a total of six goals and four assists. Aachen’s Lars Gindorf, who also converted a penalty, has only two fewer assists. But the Hannover 96 loanee has little to cheer about at the moment. The mood in Cottbus is different. Claus-Dieter Wollitz, coach of FC Energie Cottbus, told “Magenta Sport”: “Before the game, I talked about a war of attrition. That’s what we saw. I didn’t set up the team well, that’s the reality. We lacked confidence. I don’t want to blame anyone else, I’d rather blame myself. Our center backs weren’t as good as in recent games and had huge problems. I thought things would calm down at 1-1, but then we put the icing on the cake. At halftime, I said that I would take responsibility, but maybe you guys could get me out of this situation. The guys really stuck their necks out and won very happily in a nasty game. If it ends in a draw, it’s fair.“
Tolcay Cigerci, who became a father on Friday and was the match winner against Aachen, received special praise: ”I’ve never taken my hat off to a player before, but I’ve done it now. The whole situation with his wife: it’s been dragging on, it’s an enormous mental strain – what he’s going through here, the responsibility he’s taking on, how he performs, how he plays soccer, and how ambitious he is. All I can say is: hats off! I’m grateful that I get to accompany him and that he plays for Energie Cottbus.
Meanwhile, Benedetto Muzzicato, coach of Alemannia Aachen, was fed up: “Based on the first half and the performance itself, you have to kill the game early on. That’s the biggest problem at the moment: that we’re not making anything of these chances and our superiority. Then a team like Cottbus, with its individual quality, keeps coming back. After the 2-2, Cottbus put more pressure on. In the end, it’s not enough from us. It’s also bitter for the boys because they invest so much. At the moment, we’re not the worse team in many games, but we’re still left with zero points. That’s the football god.”
