Munich on Tuesday, January 24th: The temperature in the evening was just above freezing with a wintry 1 degree. The game between FC Bayern and 1. FC Köln took place in the Allianz Arena. Anyone who wasn't on the pitch as an actor was appropriately wrapped up: the spectators in the stands as well as the substitutes and other staff on the substitutes' benches. Only Cologne coach Steffen Baumgart stood out visually.
Despite the wintry temperatures, he took off his other outerwear during the first half and stood on the sidelines in a T-shirt. After all, the obligatory flat cap still kept the trainer's head warm. Cologne led 1-0 against the favorites from the fourth minute of the game and Baumgart, as usual, went full throttle to keep pushing his players. The coach was apparently too warm for long sleeves.
After the game, the cold-resistant coach was celebrated for his physical effort by the fans in the stadium and on the net. In the arena, some Bayern fans also took a selfie with the guest coach. And on Twitter, there was amazement above all. One wrote that Baumgart must have come to class in shorts when it was below zero.
Others froze when they saw it on the screen or in the stadium. One fan wrote that just seeing Baumgart in the shirt was worth the price of admission and praised him as a "hammer guy".
The self-sacrificing commitment was not fully rewarded in the end. Thanks to a last-minute goal from Joshua Kimmich, Bayern saved at least a point at home. Cologne can still be very satisfied. With the 7:1 against Werder Bremen and the 1:1 against FC Bayern, the start after the long winter break was successful. The Cologne coach was correspondingly satisfied after the game, even if the late equalizer rankled him: "It's annoying because of the timing, but it's basically okay. We're going home happy with the point," said the coach. Overall, he praised the first half of the season in Cologne, saying that it was "above the target".
In the gallery: Even the longest winter break comes to an end. Now the ball is rolling again and Bayern Munich will become German champions in early summer. And otherwise? 18 more or less serious prospects for the rest of the season.
