Bülter strikes late as Köln see off 10-man Mainz

The first Sunday fixture of the new Bundesliga campaign saw 1.FC Köln take a 1-0 win away from Mainz.

The first outing of the 2025/26 Bundesliga campaign at the Mewa Arena pitted FSV Mainz 05 against a newly promoted 1.FC Köln. Making a quick turnaround from their Conference League travails in Norway, Die Nullfünfer’s confidence took another knock as 1.FC Köln struck late to snatch an impressive 1-0 win in the Rhineland-Palatinate.

Köln were under the pump inside seconds as the hosts unleashed a flurry of shots from Paul Nebel, Antony Caci and Kaishu Sano – none of which found their way to the target. Misfortune arrived as Bo Henriksen was forced into a 15th-minute sub. Summer signing Benedict Hollerbach limped off with a hamstring injury while Nelson Weiper took his place. 

Mainz continued to zip the ball about midway through the first-half while looking for an opening in Köln’s defence. The visitors enjoyed a short spell of control approaching the half-hour with Seboulonsen flashing wide, however Mainz continued to dominate the play. There was a late penalty appeal for Mainz when Hübers collided with Jae-Sung Lee, but nothing materialised.

Effzeh brought a repurposed vigour after the break as Jan Thielmann and Kristoffer Lund came close to an opener. Shortly after Nadiem Amiri tested Marvin Schwäbe, drama ensued on the hour. Mainz thought they had a penalty appeal when Antony Caci went down in the box but Köln broke upfield. As last man back, Paul Nebel hauled down Kaminski which resulted in a straight red card from Tobias Stieler. 

With the likes of Said El-Mala and Ragnar Ache introduced, Köln clearly fancied a shot at glory. Weiper had a wonderful shot saved by Schwäbe at one end while Özkacar headed over for the visitors entering the final 15 minutes. Köln’s Turkish centre-half proved critical to their defensive efforts soon after as he blocked Silvan Widmer’s goal-bound effort.

With the numerical advantage and Lukas Kwasniok’s gutsy alterations, Effzeh finally reaped the rewards. On the stroke of 90 minutes, Luca Waldschmidt crossed from deep for Marius Bülter to rise highest and head past a sprawling Robin Zentner. A whopping 7 minutes of injury time arrived but nothing could stop the party in the gästeblock as Köln held on for victory.