El Mala the hero as Köln claim Rhine derby bragging rights

1. FC Köln secured a 2-1 victory over rivals Borussia Mönchengladbach, with Said El Mala’s second-half strike proving decisive as René Wagner’s side claimed all three points in the Rhine derby.

Said El Mala celebrates his winner vs. Gladbach

Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images

Isak Jóhannesson put the hosts ahead before Joe Scally equalised for the visitors in the first half. However, a dominant second-half display from El Mala culminated in the winger scoring his second goal of the campaign to seal a 2-1 victory for Köln, handing Alexander Blessin a defeat in his first game in charge of Gladbach.

Both sides approached the derby with the expected intensity, refusing to shy away from the challenge during a fiercely contested opening 15 minutes. El Mala produced the first real moment of danger for the hosts in the 17th minute, although his effort from inside the area flashed a yard or two wide of Moritz Nicolas’ goal.

Nine minutes later, Köln broke the deadlock. A free kick deep inside Gladbach territory was only partially cleared by the visitors’ defence before falling to Jóhannesson just outside the penalty area. The Icelandic midfielder made no mistake, driving a controlled effort towards goal that beat Nicolas despite the goalkeeper getting a hand to the ball.

Gladbach grew into the contest after the half-hour mark and were rewarded for their persistence in the 39th minute. A deep cross into the penalty area was headed clear, but only as far as Lukas Ullrich on the left. The full-back delivered a teasing ball back into the box, which took a deflection off a defender before falling perfectly for Scally at the back post. The American made no mistake with his header to restore parity.

There was concern for Köln just before the break as midfielder Ellyes Skhiri was stretchered off deep into stoppage time with a suspected ankle injury. Both sides subsequently headed into the interval level at 1-1.

Köln began the second half on the front foot, with El Mala particularly influential as the hosts searched for a second goal. They came agonisingly close to restoring their lead less than 10 minutes after the restart when the winger was picked out inside the area. His effort appeared destined for the net after taking a deflection, only for Jan Leszczynski to produce a superb goal-line clearance.

El Mala was denied again moments later by an excellent block from Kevin Diks, but the winger refused to be thwarted for a third time. In the 67th minute, he received the ball out wide before driving towards goal and cutting inside onto his right foot. He then unleashed a wonderful curling effort into the corner, leaving Nicolas helpless and sending the home supporters into celebration.

With the clock ticking towards the final 10 minutes, Gladbach were forced to push forward in search of an equaliser. Marvin Schwäbe was called into action on several occasions, most notably when Hugo Bolin unleashed a powerful effort from distance. The Köln goalkeeper reacted well to get a strong hand to the ball and preserve his side’s advantage.

The visitors’ final major opportunity arrived in the 88th minute. Substitute Zento Uno found himself unmarked in the penalty area after Wael Mohya drove towards the byline and cut the ball back across goal. However, Tom Krauß produced a magnificent block to deny Uno, with the effort seemingly destined to find the net.

Köln subsequently saw out the five minutes of added time to secure a memorable 2-1 derby victory, with El Mala’s second-half brilliance proving the difference between the two sides.