Malek El Mala Rescues Late Point for 1. FC Köln Against 1. FC Union Berlin
Malek El Mala scored on his debut to secure a 1–1 draw for 1. FC Köln against 1. FC Union Berlin at the Stadion an Der Alten Försterei on Sunday, earning his side a share of the points after an early deficit, 1. FC Köln reported on its official website.
Union Berlin took the lead within the opening ten minutes. Livan Burcu drove into the penalty area and cut the ball back to Tim Skarke, whose delivery allowed Janik Haberer to turn in a simple tap-in past Marvin Schwäbe and Paul Okon-Engstler.
The hosts controlled much of the first half while sitting back to absorb pressure. Union nearly doubled their lead when Burcu fired a sharp shot toward the near post, but Köln goalkeeper Schwäbe managed to tip the effort onto the crossbar.
El Mala Brothers Make Club History in Berlin
The match turned in the 72nd minute when Malek El Mala entered the pitch to make his debut for Köln. His introduction alongside brother Said marked the first time a brother duo has played for the club since Klaus and Thomas Allofs.
Malek made an immediate impact just seven minutes after coming on. Following a quickly taken corner kick, Said El Mala crossed into the penalty area where Alessio Castro-Montes flicked the ball toward the back post for Malek to poke home the equalizer.
Köln pushed for a winner in the closing moments. Said El Mala turned defender Rani Khedira and squared a pass to Mikey Moore, whose goalbound strike was blocked at the last second before Union cleared the resulting set-piece.
Upcoming Bundesliga Fixture at RheinEnergieSTADION
Following a demanding week of fixtures, 1. FC Köln manager René Wagner and his squad have time to prepare for their next league assignment. Bayer Leverkusen will travel to the RheinEnergieSTADION on Sunday, November 8, with kick-off scheduled for 15:30 CET.
Sunday’s fixture played out in front of a sold-out crowd of 22,012 spectators and was officiated by referee Richard Hempel from Dresden.
Match Details and Line-ups
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- Goals: 1:0 Haberer (10‘), 1:1 M. El Mala (79‘)
Frequently Asked Questions About the Match
Who scored the equalizing goal for 1. FC Köln?
Malek El Mala scored the equalizing goal in the 79th minute, marking a scoring debut for the club after coming on as a substitute.
Who provided the assist for the Köln goal?
Alessio Castro-Montes provided the flick-on at the back post following a cross from Said El Mala.
When do 1. FC Köln play their next match?
Köln will host Bayer Leverkusen at the RheinEnergieSTADION on Sunday, November 8, with the match starting at 15:30 CET.