Cologne, who were relegated from the Bundesliga last season, bounced back at the first attempt as they guaranteed promotion on Monday with a 4-0 win at Greuther Fuerth thanks to a Jhon Cordoba hat trick. Needing a draw to ensure their return to the top flight, the Billy Goats raced to a 3-0 half-time lead as they wrapped up the title with two matches to spare. Cordoba took advantage of slack marking to give Cologne an eighth-minute lead before Daniel Steininger headed into his own net from a corner and Cordoba turned in Dominick Drexler's pass four minutes before the break. The Colombian completed his hat trick with a header in the 65th minute as Cologne won promotion from the second tier for the sixth time since 1999-2000, and the fourth time as champions.
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