Malek El Mala's debut goal snatches point for Cologne at Union Berlin
Saïd El Mala was upstaged by brother Malek on his Bundesliga debut as the latter equalised late on to earn Cologne a point against Union Berlin at the Stadion an der Alten Försterei.
Goals: 1-0 Haberer 10’ (assist: Skarke), 1-1 M. El Mala 79’ (assist: Castro-Montes)
Union made five changes to the side that were beaten 5-0 by Cologne in the DFB Cup in midweek, while René Wagner made just two alterations in contrast. Fresh from his brace in that encounter, Saïd. El Mala led the line, with brother Malek amongst the substitutes.
Haberer strikes early
Union started the brighter of the two sides and won an early corner that Kastriot Imeri headed narrowly wide. However, the hosts did not have to wait long for the breakthrough as they took the lead inside the opening 10 minutes. Derrick Köhn worked space down the left for Tim Skarke, who laid the ball off for Janik Haberer to poke home from close range.
Cologne struggled to respond, offering little in the final third, while Union continued to look the more threatening side without troubling Marvin Schwäbe too often.
Cologne finally began to see more of the ball in the closing stages of the half without creating clear openings. In stoppage time, Union went close to a second when Livan Burcu struck from a tight angle, forcing Schwäbe to palm the effort against his own crossbar and keep the deficit at just one goal at the interval.
Cologne began the second half with a little more purpose but still failed to register a shot on target for long periods. Saïd El Mala somehow fired over from close range after a corner in the 73rd minute, the best visiting chance of the afternoon to that point.
Nevertheless, Cologne finally provided a response when Malek El Mala, who was making his Bundesliga debut, met a flick-on from Alessio Castro-Montes at the back post to hammer in and level the score - brother Saïd had been involved in the build-up by providing the cross. That proved to be the final real chance of the game, as the spoils were ultimately shared.
Man of the Match: Malek El Mala
Malek El Mala was voted Man of the Match with 62 percent of the vote after scoring the equaliser moments into his professional debut. He came on in the 72nd minute and struck the leveller in the 79th, finishing off a cross from Saïd and a flick from Castro-Montes to earn Cologne a share of the points.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: Union Berlin 1.05 - Cologne 1.59
Fastest player: Oliver Burke (Union), 34.35 km/h
Lowest goal probability: 1-1 by Malek El Mala (Cologne), 52 percent
Pass efficiency: Sebastian Sebulonsen (Cologne), +2.8
Fantasy Heroes: Janik Haberer (Union, 209 Points), Tom Krauß (Cologne, 160 Points), Joël Schmied (Cologne, 140 Points)
