The ecstatic cheers spread like wildfire along the street behind the RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne.

Inside the stadium, Sebastian Andersson had put Cologne 1-0 up against Schalke, and on course for the victory they needed to scrape into the Bundesliga's relegation-promotion playoff.

Outside, fans who had been listening to radios or trying to follow live streams jumped into the air, fell into each other's arms or simply ran around wildly. Maybe, just maybe, Cologne weren't going down yet.

It was then that the dreaded words came out of one fan's speakers: "… das Tor wird geprüft…" – the goal is being checked.

This time, the news spread more slowly. Huddled around the fan with the radio, fans strained to hear what the commentator could tell them. Three long minutes, it took. Apparently, there had been a foul in the build-up. No, there definitely had been. The video assistant referee (VAR) ruled out the goal.

"Nobody here inside the stadium knows why!" screamed the local radio commentator, who may or may not have been entirely neutral. "To make a decision like that in a game like this, that takes some courage!"

The responses outside were less diplomatic as the controversial VAR system was cursed and told in no uncertain terms where to go.

Cologne were back to square one. They needed a goal. And they had less than 20 minutes to get it.

'A bit of reality'

The day had begun with mixed feelings for fans in Cologne.

On the one hand, trepidation and fear that they could be about to experience a seventh relegation since 1998, should their team fail to win. On the other, happiness at seeing friends and acquaintances again on the way to the match – albeit one that none of them could actually attend.

Still, the call had gone out for fans to gather behind the stadium, and about 3,000 turned up. Some carried crates of beer or packed lunches, others had fold-out chairs. Most donned red and white scarves and hats against the wind and rain.

"It's just great to be going to the football with other people again," said one, who had made the short journey across town by tram, while another said he'd driven from the nearby city of Koblenz with his daughter: "We've been following the games on TV all season but it's not the same, we've come for a bit of reality!"

Behind the stadium, the club had erected fences to keep the fans away from the stands. In front of the fences, police vans lined the street. Around 400 police officers had been deployed "for the protection of the gathering and the prevention of clashes between rival fans" – despite the fact that there was absolutely no suggestion that any Schalke fans would turn up, having not attended any of their team's games all season.

'They need to fight! We're going down!'

An hour before kick-off, Cologne's ultras formed a guard of honor along the street leading to the stadium, setting off flares and smoke bombs along the route as the team bus arrived. But they disappeared after kick-off, leaving the support to the remaining fans gathered behind the stadium.

Gathered around iPads or listening to radios, most followed proceedings spread out across the parking lot and field behind the stadium. The vast majority maintained social distancing and wore masks. Around 300-400 younger fans gathered closer to the fence, packed together, jumping, chanting and setting off flares.

One colleague reported that they were clearly audible inside the stadium, where the support initially appeared to help, as Cologne created several good early chances, only to be denied each time by Schalke goalkeeper Ralf Fährmann.

There was increased optimism when news filtered through that relegation rivals Werder Bremen were losing (to Cologne's arch-rivals Borussia Mönchengladbach of all teams) and that Arminia Bielefeld had also fallen behind. Only for the latter to be corrected by VAR, and Bielefeld to then take the lead themselves.

Optimism and hope, confusion and frustration – the emotional rollercoaster was picking up pace, but one certainty remained: Cologne had to win. And Cologne had to score.

"We've done nothing for the last 15 minutes, it will be typical if the others don't win but then neither do we!" despaired one fan. "They need to fight! We're going down!"

And Cologne were fighting and creating chances, but Fährmann was having his best game all season, saving from Jonas Hector and then again from Andersson as the Billy Goats edged towards the second division.

But Jan Thielmann recovered the ball and chipped it back across the box where, with just four minutes remaining, Belgian defender Sebastian Bornauw rose at the back post to power home a header.

Outside, about one hundred meters away, pandemonium ensued again. And this time, there was no intervention by VAR.

With Bremen losing 4-2 and relegated automatically, Cologne were in the playoff. Safe, for now.