Malek El Mala's late goal salvages 1-1 draw for Köln at Union Berlin

A late equaliser for Köln

Malek El Mala, 21, came off the bench and scored in the 79th minute, seven minutes after his introduction, to earn Köln a 1-1 draw at Union Berlin on Sunday, 1 November. He is the older of the two El Mala brothers, and the goal was his first in the Bundesliga. His younger brother Saïd had scored twice in the 5-0 cup win over Union five days earlier. Janik Haberer had given the hosts the lead in the 10th minute, although one report gives the 11th. It was the first time both brothers had been on the pitch together for Köln, and the draw denied both clubs the relief they had sought in the relegation fight.

The cup defeat as backdrop

Five days earlier, Köln had beaten Union 5-0 in the DFB-Pokal in Cologne, a result Union's Rani Khedira called a 'Systemabsturz', or system collapse. The club apologised to its supporters, and its matchday programme carried the slogan 'Bock uff Revanche' above its mascot. Union's defence looked more compact than it had in the cup, and the hosts kept their shape deep for long spells. Union needed a visible reaction after that defeat, and the 1-1 gave them only a point from a match they had hoped to win at home.

How the match was decided

Haberer's opener came from a run by Tim Skarke, who got past Paul Okon-Engstler on the byline and cut the ball back for Haberer to finish from short range. After that, Union sat deep and gave Köln the ball, but the visitors struggled to create anything of note. Shortly before half-time, Marvin Schwäbe deflected a shot by Livan Burcu onto the crossbar, a chance that could have doubled Union's lead. Köln kept pressing for an equaliser through the second half, and the breakthrough came late in the match with the substitute El Mala's finish.

Reaction and table

After the draw, Köln remain two points ahead of Union, who sit 16th in the table with seven points, six of them taken from their last four matches. Köln have now gone 17 Bundesliga away games without a win, and their last success on the road was a 1-0 win at Hoffenheim on 3 October 2025. That is the longest such run for the club since 2003/04. Defender Marvin Friedrich, who was playing for Union for the first time since 2022, described the mood in the home dressing room after the final whistle.

“We are already disappointed. Especially at home we really wanted to take three points.”