Podolski leads Cologne to 3-0 win over Augsburg

Posted Monday, October 31, 2011 by YAHOO Sport

BERLIN (AP)—Lukas Podolski scored twice in a 3-0 win for Cologne over promoted Augsburg in the Bundesliga on Sunday, and Hamburger SV drew 1-1 with Kaiserslautern.

Podolski drifted in from the left before dispatching a shot past Simon Jentzsch in the 19th, and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way with a penalty five minutes later.

“It makes the difference when you have such a player,” Augsburg coach Jos Luhukay said. “He’s exceptional.”

Slawomir Peszko sealed the win in the 56th, when he sent Jan-Ingwer Callsen-Bracker the wrong way before slotting a shot through defender Sebastian Langkamp’s legs.

Akaki Gogia hit the post from 20 meters (yards) in the 75th, and the visitors’ miserable afternoon was capped seconds later, when Thorsten Oehrl was sent off for tackling Sascha Riether from behind.

Augsburg is second from bottom after Jose Paolo Guerrero’s equalizer for 10-man Hamburg lifted his side into the relegation playoff place. Cologne is 11th and Kaiserslautern 13th.

“Lukas is our big match-winner,” Cologne coach Stake Solbakken said. “Perhaps right now he’s among the best Bundesliga players.”

Podolski has scored in each of Cologne’s last four wins and claimed his eighth goal of the season from the spot after Hajime Hosogai was judged to have brought down Christian Clemens in the area. TV replays showed the Japan midfielder pulled back from the tackle after a sprint for the ball.

Gogia landed a shot on the roof of the net shortly after Peszko scored, and drew a good save from Michael Rensing in the 65th.

In all, Augsburg had 15 shots on target, compared to five from the more effective Cologne.

In Hamburg, Slobodan Rajkovic was sent off for catching Christian Tiffert in the face with an elbow as they ran for the ball in the 22nd. The Kaiserslautern captain needed stitches above his left eye before rejoining the action eight minutes later.

“I don’t think he meant to hit me with the elbow. The blood simply came. It (the elbow) was high,” Tiffert said. “I didn’t produce any theatrics and I didn’t provoke the red card.”

Hamburg coach Thorsten Fink criticized the decision.

“In this situation, you don’t have to give a red,” Fink said. “But he did.”

The visitors went ahead in the 38th when Olcay Sahan switched play from the right to the unmarked Konstantinos Fortounis. The Greek midfielder cut the ball back for the 24-year-old Pierre De Wit to unleash an unstoppable effort past Jaroslav Drobny.

Marcel Jansen’s 30-meter (yard) effort struck the crossbar at the other end two minutes later, before Fortounis drew a superb reflex save from Drobny.

Guerrero had a goal ruled out in the 60th when he controlled the ball with his arm before slotting it between Kevin Trapp’s legs.

“First the sending off and then we had a regular goal ruled out,” Fink said. “That was no hand ball.”

Peru striker Guerrero finally scored his first goal of the season in the 65th, when the impressive Goekhan Toere crossed from the right for Guerrero to rise above three defenders and put the ball past Trapp.

Jeffrey Bruma stopped an immediate response from Kaiserslautern when he cleared off the line ahead of the onrushing Dorge Rostand Kouemaha.

Mathias Abel hit the crossbar with a header for Kaiserslautern in the 83rd, before Tiffert shot narrowly wide in injury time.