The Cologne Centurions Lose to Paris Musketeers in a Close ELF Season Opener

Every yard counts in American football. A few centimeters make the difference between victory and defeat. The Cologne Centurions had to experience this in the opening game against the Paris Musketeers.

by Holger Bienert

Two seconds before the end of the game, 17:24 behind and without a time-out, Centurion’s wide receiver Paul Kavadia-Lenhardt caught the egg just before the end zone and not in it. victory for Paris.
It was the Centurions who scored the first three points in the opening game of the third ELF season in their home south stadium, thanks to a field goal by Jens Appelt in the third quarter.
Both Densiv rows dominated the game for a half. The Cologne Centurions showed themselves to be enormously improved. In 2021 and 2022, the Cathedral City defense was statistically among the worst in the ELF. Linebacker Zachary Blair’s crew kept putting pressure on Musketeers quarterback Edwards. “Honestly, I don’t know how many times Blair has been at the opposing quarterback today. In any case, he brought leadership and control to our defence,” said sporting director David Drane in praise of the performance of the defence.
Head coach Christos Lampropoulos, on the other hand, criticized the unnecessary penalties for unsportsmanlike behavior in the first round, which would have thrown you out of rhythm. In the second round, running back Gerald Ameln lost the ball, which gave Paris a 16:10 lead three minutes before the end of the game.
The last two minutes couldn’t be surpassed in terms of tension and drama. The 17:10 lead through a sensational catch by Kavadia-Lenhardt – with one minute and 37 seconds left on the game clock – turned Paris only 60 seconds later. Unfortunately, the remaining 37 seconds were not enough. Ultimately, the Cologne Centurions were only missing one yard.
The Cologne Centurions’ next home game is on June 17 at the Höhenberg sports park. Then one of the favorites will be visiting Cologne with dren Hamburg seqa Devils.