1. FC Köln needed a response and got a brutal one. Said El Mala scored twice and added an assist as Köln beat Union Berlin 5-0 in the second round of the DFB-Pokal and booked a place in the round of 16.
El Mala and Maina took the game away early
El Mala put Köln ahead in the 32nd minute, then struck again in the 60th. He also set up one goal, and his 9.68 rating reflected how one-sided the night became once he found space between Union's lines.
ArticleBody was also shaped by Linton Maina, who scored in the 51st minute and assisted one of El Mala's goals. Maina finished with one goal and one assist in 71 cup minutes this season, while El Mala needed 81 minutes to produce two goals and one assist.
Wagner gets the lift he needed
René Wagner had gone into the game under pressure after the first unmistakable "Wagner raus" chants following last weekend's 0-0 draw with Schalke 04. Thomas Kessler had already given him full backing before kick-off, and Wagner had asked for his side to attack, score goals and become dangerous.
Köln did exactly that. Ísak Bergmann Jóhannesson made it 4-0 in the 78th minute, Sebastian Sebulonsen added the fifth in the 88th, and the home crowd of 49,000 in pouring rain at Müngersdorf got a performance that erased the mood from the weekend before.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
