1.FC Koeln 1 – Bayern Munich 4

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Germany international TONI KROOS, the 22-year-old midfielder who finished this domestic campaign with four goals and 10 assists for Bayern Munich, tangles with 1.FC Koeln midfielder KEVIN PEZZONI (6) during the very last match of the Bundesliga season at the sold-out RheinEnergieStadion in North Rhine-Westphalia.
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5/5/2012
Bundesliga
Spieltag # 34

1 – 1.FC KOELN ————————– Novakovic 63′
4 – BAYERN MUNICH ————— Mueller 34′, 85′, own goal 52′, Robben 54′

A pair of quick goals not so long after the halftime whistle effectively broke the home side’s ability, if not will, to resist as visiting record German champion and 2012 UEFA Champions League Finalist BAYERN MUNICH cruised to a 4-1 victory over relegation-bound 1.FC KOELN on the very last day of the 2011/12 Bundesliga season.

The hosts could have earned a playoff tie instead of automatic relegation with a victory, no matter what the result between TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and SC Hertha Berlin from the German capital city, but it was not to be.

France World Cup winger FRANCK RIBERY, so influential all season long to the Bavarian side, floated a lovely ball from the right flank that found Germany World Cup winger THOMAS MUELLER all alone at the far post in the 34th minute and left 1.FC Koeln goalkeeper MICHAEL RENSING absolutely no chance. In the 52nd minute, the Fabulous Frenchman created havoc with a run down the left wing generated the low cross that the unfortunate 1.FC Koeln captain PEDRO GEROMEL turned into his own net on the ricochet. Ribery finishes this term with a career-high 12 goals for Bayern Munich to go along with 16 assists in the German top flight, then.

Holland World Cup winger ARJEN ROBBEN then registered his 12th goal in the Bundesliga this season made the score three-nil for Bayern Munich after a splendid pass from Germany international midfielder TONI KROOS in the 52nd minute.

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Germany World Cup winger LUKAS PODOLSKI, on his final appearance for 1.FC Koeln before his high-profile transfer this summer to London-based FC Arsenal in the English Premier League, engineered one last goal for the home fans to cheer shortly after the hour. Second half substitute and Slovenia World Cup striker MILIVOJE NOVAKOVIC side-footed home the precise, low cross from seven yards and scored his fifth Bundesliga goal in the 63rd minute. But things would only get signifcantly worse.

First the news arrived from Berlin that SC Hertha had gone ahead by two goals against 10-man TSG Hoffenheim at the Olympiastadion.

And then Mueller grabbed his second goal of the game with what can only be described as a cheeky backheel in the 85th minute after a low cross from Brazil international fullback RAFINHA, one of three replacements sent on after the break by Bayern Munich trainer Jupp Heynckes; the Golden Boot winner from the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa concludes his Bundesliga campaign with seven goals for Bayern Munich, including three in the last two matches.

In the end, as a result of the sheer stupidity of a small minority of 1.FC Koeln supporters at the RhienEnergieStadion, the match referee was forced to order the two sides off the pitch early.

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Germany World Cup winger LUKAS PODOLSKI (10), the former Bayern Munich attacker and highly-experienced international who shot a career high 18 goals in the Bundesliga this season for 1.FC Koeln, has been purchased by English Premier League side FC Arsenal for the reported transfer fee of 13.5 million Euros from relegated 1.FC Koeln.
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1.FC KOELN : Rensing – Brecko, McKenna, Geromel, Eichner – Lanig (Buchtmann 69′), Pezzoni – Riether, Peszko – Jajalo (Novakovic 46′), Podolski

BAYERN MUNICH : Neuer – Lahm, Tymoshchuk, Boateng, Contento – Schweinsteiger, Kroos (Alaba 69′) – Robben (Rafinha 75′), Mueller, Ribery (Badstuber 71′) – Gomez

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Bayern Munich 3 – 1.FC Koeln 0

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Germany international defender HOLGER BADSTUBER of Bayern Munich heads the ball away from national team constituent LUKAS PODOLSKI (10) of 1.FC Koeln, far and away his team’s top scorer in the top flight this season with a career-high 14 goals, during the Bundesliga match at the sold-out Allianz Arena in Bavaria.
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12/16/11
Bundesliga
Spieltag # 17

3 – BAYERN MUNICH ————— Gomez 48, Alaba 63′, Kroos 88′
0 – 1.FC KOELN

The unofficial autumn champion overcame the handicap of a first half ejection by scoring three times unanswered after the break as ten-man BAYERN MUNICH blanked visiting 1.FC KOELN 3-0 to successfully close out the first half of the 2011-12 Bundesliga campaign.

France World Cup winger FRANCK RIBERY, the second-leading scorer with 10 goals in all competitions for Bayern Munich this season, got into a confrontation with one-time Portugal U-21 international defender HENRIQUE SERENO of 1.FC Koeln for which both players were booked but the 28-year-old who cost the Bavarians a then-club record 25.0 million Euros from Olympique Marseille continued to carry on and was immediately shown a second yellow card in the 33rd minute. Unfortunately for the visitors, the manpower situation was never exploited and 1.FC Koeln would, in fact, generate just five goal attempts for the entire game. Germany World Cup goalkeeper MANUEL NEUER would be called upon to make just one save in between the sticks for Bayern Munich, who posted a clean sheet for the first time in nine matches of all competitions after having earlier recorded a shutout streak of twelve consecutive contests.

Brazilian defender PEDRO GEROMEL gave the ball away far too easily in 1.FC Koeln’s third of the field and Bayern Munich pounced right away to open the second half. Germany World Cup winger THOMAS MUELLER, who has scored just two goals in the Bundesliga but has won numerous penalites for being fouled in the box this season, unselfishly lured the goalkeeper out before squaring the ball for national team colleague MARIO GOMEZ to sweep into the empty net in the 48th minute. “Super Mario” increased his totals to 16 strikes after 17 rounds in the Bundesliga and twenty-four goals in all competitions for Bayern Munich this term.

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JUPP HEYNCKES, easily the most-experienced trainer in the Bundesliga at 66 years of age, made a fruitful exchange for the Bavarians in the 52nd minute by taking off Mueller in favor of promising Austria international DAVID ALABA, the 19-year-old capable of operating effectively in a defensive midfield role. Just after the hour, though, Alaba appeared at the back post all alone after a corner kick from Germany international midfielder TONI KROOS had been allowed to bounce through. Former Germany U-21 international goalkeeper MICHAEL RENSING of 1.FC Koeln, who made 53 Bundesliga appearances in seven seasons for Bayern Munich before his departure in the summer of 2010, had no chance as Alaba had plenty of time to chest the ball down and rifle home from close range to notch his second goal in the Bundesliga for the Bavarians this season.

Alaba involved himself again after Croatia international attacker IVICA OLIC, another second half substitute, made a fine run into the box before going down. The ever-improving youngster latched on to the loose ball then cleverly dished off to the 21-year-old Kroos, who skillfully chipped the advancing Rensing with two minutes remaining. The goal marked a first of the season in the German top flight for Kroos, who had already scored twice this fall for both Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League in addition to Joachim Loew’s national team, as well.

Bayern Munich claimed the coveted title of Herbstmeister, traditionally seen as a wonderful indicator of who will win the German championship, for the 17th time in club history heading into this season’s annual Winterpause. In the past, the Bavarians have ultimately gone on to win the Bundesliga Meisterschale fourteen times after winning the unofficial fall crown. The last time Bayern Munich failed to turn the lead at the halfway mark into the actual title was the fateful 1992/93 campaign.

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Belgium international DANIEL VAN BUYTEN, the seasoned 31-year-old defender who has scored four goals in the German first division for Bayern Munich this term, restricts Germany World Cup winger LUKAS PODOLSKI of 1.FC Koeln from access to the ball (albeit illegally) during the Bundesliga match at the sold-out Allianz Arena in Bavaria.
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BAYERN MUNICH : Neuer – Rafinha, van Buyten, Badstuber, Lahm – Tymoshchuk, Kroos – Robben (Luiz Gustavo 76′), Mueller (Alaba 52′), Ribery – Gomez (Olic 78′)

1.FC KOELN – Rensing – Brecko (Makino 14′), Sereno, McKenna, Geromel, Jemal – Riether, Jajalo – Clemens (Roshi 69′), Peszko – Podolski (Freis 68′)

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1.FC Koeln : No Regret About Rensing

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For a second successive Friday night in the Bundesliga, former Bayern Munich goalkeeper MICHAEL RENSING enjoyed a strong showing tending the nets for new club 1.FC Koeln in North Rhine-Westhphalia. (Patrik Stollarz/AFP/Getty Images)
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The hierarchy at 1.FC Koeln has to be appreciative of the fact that former Germany U-21 international goalkeeper MICHAEL RENSING never did accept that contract offer from English Football League Championship (second division) side Leicester City after a successful trial this past fall.

For his part, the once out-of-work Rensing has experienced a Renaissance in between the sticks for the Billy Goats since signing just three days after 1.FC Koeln’s final match prior to the annual Winterpause.

And, 1.FC Koeln trainer FRANK SCHAEFER certainly has yet to find cause to regret the decision made during the winter break to release ineffective Colombia veteran international FARYD MONDRAGON and the install the 26-year-old former Bayern Munich shot-stopper as first choice at the club instead.

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(Patrik Stollarz/AFP)
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Rensing has started all nine games for 1.FC Koeln since the conclusion of the Winterpause and, without question, made a difference at the back for die Geissboecke.

One of the major reasons 1.FC Koeln spent virtually all fall in the relegation zone was the poor record the club compiled on defense and Mondragon was carrying one of the worst save percentages of all the regular Bundesliga goalkeepers.

Including the Billy Goats’ big 4-0 victory over high-flying Hannover 96 in Cologne last night, Rensing has turned aside 31 shots and posted a save percentage of 75.60 %, which puts him up amongst the league leaders in that category. More importantly, in stark contrast to prior performances, Rensing has permitted just ten goals in nine contests. Over the first 17 games of the season, 1.FC Koeln had conceded 33 goals — a mark of almost two per match.

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(Ina Fassbender/Reuters)
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1.FC KOELN
2010/11 season
goalkeeper stats

75.60 % — 31 sv – 10 go — Michael RENSING
62.96 % — 34 sv – 20 go — * Faryd MONDRAGON – (Colombia)
43.48 % — 10 sv – 13 go — Miro VARVODIC – (Croatia)

* Mondragon was released in December and is now with Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer in the United States

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(Patrik Stollarz/AFP)

Rensing Resurfaces With 1.FC Koeln

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Under pressure from long-time Bundesliga teammate at Bayern Munich, Germany World Cup midfielder BASTIAN SCHWEINSTEIGER, 1.FC Koeln’s new first choice goalkeeper MICHAEL RENSING secures a high ball during the Billy Goats 3-2 victory over the Bavarians at the RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne this past weekend. (Martin Meissner/AP)
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Former Germany U-21 international goalkeeper MICHAEL RENSING spent five years with Bayern Munich’s first team training to replace since-retired Germany World Cup shot-stopper OLIVER KAHN as first choice between the sticks for the Bavarians but something happened to the 26-year-old on the way to football greatness.

After just one season as the starter for Bayern Munich, Rensing was quickly removed by in-coming Dutch trainer LOUIS VAN GAAL in favor of HANS-JOERG BUTT very early into the 2009-10 campaign. And so, the native of Lower Saxony found himself right back where he started — on the bench. Worse still, by the end of last term, the stock of young THOMAS KRAFT had risen so much that Rensing was given his release by the Bavarian club this past summer.

The out-of-contract goalkeeper subsequently attracted the attention of a few 2.Bundesliga sides but decided to hold out for first division football. No such offers were forth coming for the player capped 18 times for Germany at the U-21 level . So, in November, Rensing traveled to England for trials with Leicester City of the Football League Championship (old second division) and impressed sufficiently.

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(football-hotties.buzzsugar.com)
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But the wages with the formal contract offer were not to the German’s satisfaction and so the Bayern Munich man remained on the unemployment line.

Meanwhile, the goalkeeping for Bundesliga low-riders 1.FC Koeln had left much to be desired in the first half of the domestic season. Colombia international FARYD MONDRAGON fashioned one of the worst save percentages (62.96%) among all first choice shot-stoppers in the German top flight. 22-year-old Croatian MIRO VARVODIC was even less reliable and conceded more goals (13) than shots saved (10) over the course of his five starts for 1.FC Koeln in the Herbstmeisterschaft of the Bundesliga.

Rensing was signed by die Geissboecke (Billy Goats) on December 21, three days after the final Bundesliga match prior to the Winterpause, a 3-0 loss at Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen, and one day prior to 1.FC Koeln’s 2-1 loss to 2.Bundesliga club MSV Duisburg in the DFB Pokal.

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Overall, one-time Germany U-21 international goalkeeper MICHAEL RENSING made 53 appearances for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga and played 80 games for the Bavarian side in all competitions over the course of seven seasons before his release this past summer. (Associated Press)
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Ten days after the signing of the former Bayern Munich first choice, Mondragon had his contract terminated by 1.FC Koeln. The 39-year-old Colombian veteran had made 106 first-team appearances for die Geissboecke after arriving from SK Galatasaray Istanbul in the summer of 2007. In short order, Mondragon crossed the Atlantic Ocean to sign on with Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer.

Rensing, meanwhile, has been Nummer Eins with 1.FC Koeln ever since and has recorded two wins and a draw in his first four games of this Bundesliga season for trainer FRANK SCHAEFER’s side since the conclusion of the Winterpause.

1.FC Koeln 3 – Bayern Munich 2

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21-year-old 1.FC Koeln midfielder ADAM MATUSZCZYK, who scored his first senior international goal for Poland against the United States in Chicago earlier this past fall, dribbles the ball in front of Bayern Munich’s Germany World Cup midfielder BASTIAN SCHWEINSTEIGER at the RheinEnergieStadion in the North Rhine-Westphalian city of Cologne. (Ina Fassbender/Reuters)
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BUNDESLIGA
Spieltag # 21
2/05/2011

3 – 1.FC Koeln ———————— Clemens 55′, Novakovic 62′, 73′
2 – Bayern Munich —————– Gomez 22′, Altintop 43′

Three unanswered goals conceded inside of a twenty-minute span in the second half comprised what was, perhaps, the most demoralizing defeat of the season as defending champions BAYERN MUNICH lost 3-2 to relegation-threatened 1.FC KOELN in the Bundesliga.

After former Bayern Munich first choice and one-time Germany U-21 international MICHAEL RENSING had allowed Turkey international winger HAMIT ALTINTOP to record his second goal of the season with an extremely stoppable shot taken from a very bad angle, it appeared as if the Bavarians were crusing comfortably going into the halftime break.

The hosts had other ideas, however, and a goal from 19-year-old Germany youth international CHRISTIAN CLEMENS five minutes before the hour announced such. Slovenia World Cup striker MILIVOJE NOVAKOVIC, who was purchased by 1.FC Koeln from Bulgarian club PFC Litex Lovech for 1.5 million Euros in August of 2006, took charge of matters from there with a brace inside of ten minutes. With the two goals against Bayern Munich, the 31-year-old veteran joins Germany World Cup winger LUKAS PODOLSKI on the top of 1.FC Koeln’s scoring chart with seven goals in the Bundesliga this season.

A most disgusting loss not really worth discussing much as Bayern Munich drop back down to fifth in the German top flight.

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The new first choice for 1.FC Koeln, former Germany U-21 international goalkeeper MICHAEL RENSING (1), makes a point blank save in front of a pair of Germany World Cup strikers and former teammates with Bayern Munich, MIROSLAV KLOSE (left) and MARIO GOMEZ, in the second half at the RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne. (Martin Meissner/AP)
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1.FC KOELN : Rensing – Brecko, Geromel, Mohamad, Eichner – Lanig, Matuszczyk – Clemens (Yalcin 90+1′), Podolski, Peszko (Ehret 90) – Novakovic (Jajalo 82′)

BAYERN MUNICH : Kraft – Lahm, Tymoshchuk, Badstuber, Luiz Gustavo (Klose 78′) – Ottl, Pranjic – Altintop (Ribery 62′), Schweinsteiger, Mueller – Gomez

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(Martin Meissner/AP)
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(Roberto Pfeil/DAPD)
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(Ina Fassbender/Reuters)
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(Ina Fassbender/Reuters)
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(Martin Meissner/AP)
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(Martin Meissner/AP)
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(Juergen Schwarz/DAPD)
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(Martin Meissner/AP)
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(Martin Meissner/AP)
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(Martin Meissner/AP)
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(Martin Meissner/AP)
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(Patrik Stollarz/AFP)
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(Patrik Stollarz/AFP)
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(Ina Fassbender/Reuters)
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(Patrik Stollarz/AFP)
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MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

Bayern Munich 0 – 1.FC Koeln 0

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20-year right back DIEGO CONTENTO, an ever-present in all competitions for Bayern Munich so far this season, looks to poke the ball away from Romania U-21 international striker ALEXANDRU IONITA (14) of 1.FC Koeln, a summer arrival to the Bundesliga from Rapid Bucharest, at the Allianz Arena in Bavaria. (Kerstin Joensson/AP)
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BUNDESLIGA
Speiltag # 4
9/18/2010

0 – Bayern Munich
0 – 1.FC Koeln

The struggle to score goals in the Bundesliga continues as defending champion BAYERN MUNICH “hold in mediocrity” with a 0-0 draw against visiting 1.FC KOELN.

Bayern Munich did defend well and managed to take twenty shots at goal but, unfortunately for Dutch coach LOUIS VAN GAAL, only four of those efforts were on target.

It is to Bayern Munich goalkeeper HANS-JOERG BUTT’s credit that 1.FC Koeln did not snatch a late winner; Germany’s World Cup reserve shot-stopper was called upon to make two saves from Slovenia World Cup defender MISO BRECKO and winger SEBASTIAN FREIS.

Bayern Munich had the last opportunity in the dying moments but were denied by Colombia international goalkeeper FARYD MONDRAGON with a double save from France World Cup midfielder FRANCK RIBERY’s free kick and Germany World Cup winger THOMAS MUELLER’s rebound.

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BAYERN MUNICH : Butt – Lahm, van Buyten, Badstuber, Contento – van Bommel, Schweinsteiger – Ribery, Kroos, Mueller – Klose (Gomez 71′)

1.FC KOELN : Mondragon – Brecko, Geromel, Pezzoni, Ehret – Petit – Freis, Yalcin (Lanig 66′), Jajalo (Matuschyk 85′), Clemens (Ionita 90′) – Podolski