Köln 3-2 Hoffenheim: Dallinga's late double completes the comeback

Thijs Dallinga chose the perfect afternoon to announce himself. The striker scored twice in the closing stages — first on 72 minutes and then the winner on 82 — to turn a tight, back-and-forth contest Köln's way. A brace to overturn a deadlocked game is the mark of a natural finisher, and Dallinga's decisive intervention capped a rousing home comeback at the RheinEnergieStadion. When the game was there to be won, he took it.

This was an absorbing, see-saw affair. Hoffenheim drew first blood through Adam Daghim on 27 minutes, before Said El Mala levelled early in the second half. Max Moerstedt restored the visitors' lead on 57 minutes, only for Ozan Kabak to make it 2-2 on 67 — and then Dallinga took over. Four goals shared before his double, with the lead changing hands more than once, made this exactly the kind of chaotic, entertaining Bundesliga fixture the neutral loves.

The expected-goals figures were almost identical — 1.71 for Köln to Hoffenheim's 1.75 — capturing just how little separated the sides. Hoffenheim actually enjoyed the majority of possession at 59% and matched their hosts for chances, but Köln were the more clinical when it counted, converting six shots on target into three goals. In a match this even, the difference was a striker in form, and Dallinga's finishing was the decisive edge.

Coming from behind twice to win is the kind of result that galvanises a season. Köln showed character to keep responding, and in Dallinga they have a forward whose late double will do wonders for his confidence and theirs. Hoffenheim will be left frustrated — twice in front, matching their hosts across the board, yet leaving with nothing. That is the cruelty of a game decided by which team had the sharper finisher on the day.