The Bundesliga might end up saying "Kiel Ahoi" next season after all. 

While their performance in the first leg of the relegation play-off with Cologne was unconvincing at times, the result was positive as Holstein Kiel picked up a 1-0 win with an away goal that could be worth its weight in gold. 

The big question now is whether the nearly-men can break the habit of coming so close only to fall short as they bid to become the 57th different team to feature in the Bundesliga era at the expense of a side with 50 seasons of top-flight experience. 

History beckons in Schleswig-Holstein

The northernly state of Schleswig-Holstein has never boasted top tier representation in German football. Holstein Kiel only earned promotion to the 2. Bundesliga in 2017/18, when they topped the table at the halfway stage under Markus Anfang only to drop off the pace and finish third. 

Their play-off opponents on that occasion were a Wolfsburg side featuring the likes of Maximilian Arnold and Divock Origi, who romped to a 4-1 victory. It all proved a step too far for the plucky underdogs. 

Kiel’s growth since has been organic both on and off the pitch, never working outside their means as they built the foundations for another push this season. "Promotion would be sensational – we have to seize our chance," said current head coach Ole Werner. 

The 2020/21 campaign, however, brought with it unprecedented challenges and Kiel weren’t spared the impact. A team twice quarantined due to coronavirus outbreaks, Werner’s charges went from chasing their first-ever promotion to facing up to a schedule that would have tested squads with the depth to compete in Europe. 

"It’s not fair, but what we do?" asked Werner at the time, before then questioning how his side were meant to "reestablish a rhythm" during what would turn out to be a run of nine games in the space of 29 days. 

Never-say-die attitude

A side that dazzled in their defeat of Bayern Munich back in November then saw their German Cup dream crushed by eventual winners Borussia Dortmund when they returned to action in April.

It didn’t detract from their bid for Bundesliga status until the final two Matchdays of the 2. Bundesliga season. Kiel had fate in their own hands, a situation Werner said he would “happily have signed for at the start of the season," only for his side to let both opportunities slip through their grasp.  

A 3-2 loss to Darmstadt on the final day saw Greuther Fürth pip them to the post for automatic promotion, setting up their two-legged tussle for top-tier football against Cologne. "It’s crazy that we’re disappointed with a third-place finish," admitted the 33-year-old, who has in the past talked about drawing inspiration from Diego Simeone and Jose Mourinho. 

Up against the two-time Bundesliga champions, Kiel produced a 1-0 win in the first leg that would have been the envy of Werner’s coaching idols. 

Advantage Holstein Kiel

While Ondrej Duda and Jonas Hector ran the show for a Cologne side desperate not to join Schalke and Werder Bremen in being relegated, a dogged and disciplined performance was down to the sum of Kiel’s parts. Substitute Simon Lorenz scoring just 13 seconds after coming off the bench was a just reward.

"I’m more someone whose job it is to prevent the goals being scored, but let’s be honest, we’ve achieved nothing yet," said Lorenz. "We’re halfway there. Today we put in a good performance and will take a good result with us from the first leg. 

I don’t care if it’s deserved or not, we were clinical in taking our chance when it presented itself and that’s why we won 1-0 today. We’ll see on Saturday how much it counts for, but we also have to make it count."  

Only three Bundesliga 2 sides have emerged victorious since the play-offs were reintroduced back in 2009. Kiel have taken a significant first step in following in the footsteps of Nuremberg, Fortuna Düsseldorf and, most recently, Union Berlin. 

90 minutes is now all that separates the harbour-city side from embarking on their maiden Bundesliga voyage. Fail to seize on the opportunity for a third time this season and another may be hard to fashion in a 2. Bundesliga full of traditional heavyweights.