Cologne's tally of 11 points from the opening seven matches of a Bundesliga campaign was the highest accumulation by a newly-promoted club in the last eight seasons, with the visitors showcasing that growing confidence early on as Eric Martel headed wide.
However, it could easily have been Dortmund who struck first in the 10th minute. Unmarked inside the penalty area, the majority inside Signal Iduna Park expected to see the net bulging, but Waldemar Anton was left in disbelief as a brilliant block from Martel denied him from claiming the game’s opening goal.
An all-action opening quarter-hour should have concluded with Said El Mala giving Cologne the lead. However, the midfielder – recalled to the starting XI in place of Luca Waldschmidt – somehow misdirected his one-on-one effort to the wrong side of the post, to the visible annoyance of manager Lukas Kwasniok.
It was Dortmund’s turn to threaten again with 11 minutes to go before half-time. Expertly leaving Cenk Ozkacar out of sight in his rear-view window, Karim Adeyemi didn’t clear the final obstacle, as Cologne goalkeeper Marvin Schwäbe rushed from his goalline to brilliantly block the German’s effort.
Undoubtedly desperate for success after going goalless in his previous three matches, Serhou Guirassy came agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock in the 52nd minute, but Schwabe again came to Cologne’s rescue, with a stunning point-blank save to thwart the Guinean hitman’s close-range effort.
And like a man possessed, Cologne’s number one was at it again shortly after the hour mark, as he redirected Felix Nmecha’s fierce strike over the crossbar with a stunning fingertip save.
Julian Ryerson was the next Dortmund player to feel the ever-growing sense of Dortmund frustration, as his free-kick was superbly kept out by Schwabe's goalkeeping version of the Yellow Wall.
It then appeared that the Cologne custodian’s final act of the night would be another heroic one, as he kept out Julian Brandt’s 90th-minute effort. But in heartbreaking fashion, Dortmund won it right at the death, with substitute Maximilian Beier sublimely firing through the legs of a Cologne defender and a distraught Schwabe inside the area.
The late drama sees Dortmund leapfrog Stuttgart into third position, but they are still seven points behind leaders Bayern Munich.
As for Cologne – who missed out on a first chain of consecutive away wins since May 2023 – this would have represented something of a scalp, but they remain in eighth place for the time being, with a European berth still a realistic possibility.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Marvin Schwabe (Cologne)