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El Mala saves Cologne: dramatic draw against Augsburg!
Augsburg fought to a draw with Cologne in the Bundesliga. Rieder scored from the penalty spot and El Mala equalized.
El Mala saves Cologne: dramatic draw against Augsburg!
The stadium in Cologne was sold out when 1. FC Köln achieved a thrilling 1-1 draw in their duel against FC Augsburg on October 18, 2025. With 50,000 enthusiastic fans behind them, the atmosphere was great, but the game not only brought coziness but also some exciting moments.
Augsburg got off to a powerful start and took the lead in the 54th minute thanks to a penalty kick from Fabian Rieder. The penalty resulted from a foul by Dominique Heintz on Anton Kade, who was making his starting eleven debut for Augsburg. But the people of Cologne were not discouraged. Coach Lukas Kwasniok had good decision making by bringing Said El Mala and Marius Bülter into the game, which led to the switch to a back four.
El Mala as a game changer
The substitution of El Mala would prove to be the turning point of the game. He needed just 14 minutes after his start to equalize in the 76th minute. With a precise shot from 14 meters into the right corner, El Mala brought relief to the Cologne fans and celebrated his third goal of the season.[ Sports show ] [ Daily Mirror ]
But the team from Augsburg didn't show up without a fight either and also switched offensively, but even with that they were no longer able to respond to Cologne's mistakes. Cologne dominated the game in the first half, although Jakub Kaminski hit the post in the 26th minute and Kristoffer Lund missed another opportunity in the 52nd minute. The goal-scoring record was a balanced 9:9, which reflects the course of the game well.[ Kicker ]
Standings and outlook
With this draw, Cologne remains in the top half of the table and has 11 points after seven match days, which corresponds exactly to the score at the halfway point of the 2023/24 relegation season. Augsburg, on the other hand, now has 7 points and will have to keep trying to avoid slipping into the bottom of the table.[ Daily Mirror ] The next game for Cologne is against Borussia Dortmund, while Augsburg has to play against RB Leipzig.[ Sports show ]
Overall, it wasn't a spectacle, but it was a performance-based result for the Cologne supporters, which shows that coach Lukas Kwasniok's team is on the right track - even if there is still a need for action. The coming games will show whether Cologne can keep up the momentum.