FC Köln have waited 25 years to return to European competition.
But their fans in attendance at the Emirates didn’t have to wait long to see them take the lead against Arsenal.
The Europa League tie was delayed by an hour on Thursday night because of safety concerns. Fans of the German club were allocated less than 3,000 tickets for the game, but over 20,000 of them made the trip to London.
There were clashes ahead of kick-off in the Emirates, and many of the ticketless FC Köln fans tried to make their way into the stadium.
Kick-off had been delayed by an hour https://t.co/2aT0AIrGSh
— JOE (@JOE_co_uk) September 14, 2017
The game eventually got underway, and the boisterous away crowd were soon delirious.
After just nine minutes, Arsenal goalkeeper David Ospina came out of his penalty area and made a poor clearance, which eventually fell to Jhon Cordoba.
The FC Köln striker turned and hit an excellent shot over the head of Ospina, sparking wild celebrations on the team’s bench.
Alexis Sanchez, making his first start of the season, said it all about the goal and Arsenal’s first-half performance with this expression:
Image: Alexis Sanchez's face says it all. #afc pic.twitter.com/WEsmoIVFdj
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) September 14, 2017
https://twitter.com/ClassicMichy/status/908426955019735043
