“I think we will make some screenshots (of the league table) once we get home,” Cologne goalkeeper Marvin Schwäbe joked during his interview to broadcaster Sky.
Said El Mala scored the winner in the 16th minute. The 19-year-old collected the ball on the left and sprinted forward to get into the box, skip past three defenders and drill a low shot between the legs of Germany goalkeeper Oliver Baumann.
There was a moment of tension for the guests as the referee awarded Hoffenheim a penalty in the 41st minute after Eric Martel blocked a shot with his arm.
But after video review, the referee overturned his decision as Martel’s arm was tucked in close to his body.
Hoffenheim still had a dangerous chance before the break, but Marvin Schwäbe made a big save to deny Fisnik Asllani the equalizer.
The final minutes of the match saw good chances from both sides, with Hoffenheim centimetres away from the equalizer.
Vladimir Coufal volleyed the ball across goal in the 88th and it just needed a touch to go in but Ihlas Bebou couldn’t quite reach it despite a full stretch.
Jakub Kaminski, meanwhile, was denied by Baumann just a minute later, but Cologne still took all the points.
Cologne are fourth, one point ahead of Eintracht Frankfurt, who host leaders Bayern Munich on Saturday.
“We saw how well we can defend, congratulations to the entire team,” Schwäbe said.
He also praised the support from the travelling fans: “This is not usual. Simply amazing to see this here.”
Hoffenheim, meanwhile, are 10th after their third defeat in six games.
“Today we didn’t play our best game, we had issues creating (goal chances). We must analyse (the match) and see how we can do better,” Hoffenheim striker Tim Lemperle told Sky.
Other weekend games include Bayer Leverkusen v Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund v RB Leipzig.
