El Mala double sends Cologne past Union 5-0 into German Cup last 16, eases Wagner pressure
Days after fans called for coach Rene Wagner's exit, Cologne routed Union Berlin 5-0 in the German Cup. Said El Mala scored twice. The sides meet again in the Bundesliga on Sunday.
Archive image · Photo: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped and resized)
Cologne reached the last 16 of the German Cup on Tuesday night with a 5-0 win over Union Berlin. Said El Mala opened the scoring in the 32nd minute from a Linton Maina pass. Maina made it 2-0 in the 51st and El Mala added a third in the 60th, before Isak Johannesson and Sebastian Sebulonsen, in the 88th, completed the rout.
The win offered relief for coach Rene Wagner, after fans called for his exit following a 0-0 league draw with Schalke. "I'm happiest for the boys," Wagner said. "For me, the game was over with the fourth goal." Maina said: "We've shot the frustration out of our system now."
Also advancing on Tuesday, Borussia Moenchengladbach beat Karlsruher SC 2-0 and Darmstadt won 2-0 at Elversberg. Cologne and Union meet again in the Bundesliga on Sunday, this time at Union's Alte Foersterei stadium in Berlin.