←Fulltime NoteFootball, read through the numbers 한국어
DFB-Pokal · Round of 32
KOE1. FC Köln
5:0
FCUUnion Berlin
Said El Mala 32'
Linton Maina 51'
Said El Mala 60'
Í. Bergmann Jóhannesson 78'
Sebastian Sebulonsen 88'
HT 1:0
Tue, 27 Oct 2026, 19:45 (UK) · RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne

Köln took fewer shots than Union Berlin but scored five, their most in a match across eight games this season.

FN MOMSaid El Mala8.9Decisive moment32' Said El Mala+0.7FCU −0.6

Köln 5-0 Union Berlin: Said El Mala scores twice, creates one

AI-written review based on match data · How we make it

Key numbers

  • 5 goals: Köln's most in eight matches this season
  • 0.22 vs 0.06 xG per shot: quality over volume
  • 8 shots on target, more than in any earlier match

A season-high scoreline for Köln

Köln's 5-0 win over Union Berlin in the DFB-Pokal was out of step with their season so far. In eight matches this year they had never scored more than three, so this was a new high, and it came despite taking fewer shots than the visitors.

Chances of a different quality

The gap lay in shot quality. Köln's 0.22 xG per shot was well above their average across eight matches this season, and they put more shots on target than in any of those games. Union Berlin shot more but averaged only 0.06 xG per attempt.

Aebischer created, Union did not finish

Union Berlin were not short of ideas. Michel Aebischer's eight key passes were the most by anyone on the pitch, yet only four of their shots hit the target and they committed 16 fouls. It was creation without a finish, and the visitors never found a way to turn those openings into goals.

A lead that only grew

In the 32nd minute Said El Mala's opener was worth +0.7 FN xPts to Köln, while Union Berlin's FN xPts fell by −0.6. Köln led from then on, and substitutes Í. Bergmann Jóhannesson and Sebastian Sebulonsen added to the tally later in the match.

FN MOM
Highest FN Score · our own pick by a published formula, not the official Player of the Match
Said El Mala 8.9Dominant

Two goals and an assist, plus four shots, drove Köln's attack.

Most of his value came in attack. He broke the deadlock in the 32nd minute, set up Linton Maina's goal in the 51st and scored Köln's third in the 60th. Two of his four shots were on target, and he also attempted four dribbles. Each of those three moves pushed Köln's total up by a goal.

Game state

1-02-03-04-05-0
1. FC Köln ahead 58 min · level 32 min · Union Berlin ahead 0 min

FN xPts — what each moment was worth

How much each moment changed that team's expected points (win 3, draw 1). A goal's value is credited 70% to the scorer and 30% to the assist. The value next to a team code is what the same moment did to the other side's expected points; the decisive moment is the one with the largest combined change for both teams.

32' Said El Mala Goal · scorer +0.5 · assist Linton Maina +0.2 · FCU −0.6 +0.7
51' Linton Maina Goal · scorer +0.3 · assist Said El Mala +0.1 · FCU −0.2 +0.4
60' Said El Mala Goal · assist Marius Bülter · FCU 0.0 +0.1
78' Í. Bergmann Jóhannesson Goal · assist Marius Bülter · FCU 0.0 0.0
88' Sebastian Sebulonsen Goal · assist Reigan Heskey · FCU 0.0 0.0

Knockout ties have no league points, so moments are weighed on a win-3/draw-1 scale only.

How FN Score and FN xPts work →

Match stats

1. FC KölnUnion Berlin
55%Possession45%
3.04Expected goals (xG)1.1
0.22xG per shot0.06
14Shots17
8Shots on target4
57%Shots on target %24%
12Shots in box14
487Passes394
3Corners4
4Saves3
8Fouls16
1Yellow cards3
0Offsides1

Compared with usual

1. FC Köln

8 matches this season, all competitions baseline
This matchAvg
Goals51.3high
Conceded01.5
xG3.041.6
xG against1.11.7
Shots1415.8
On target85.4high
Shots faced1714.1
xG per shot0.220.1
Possession55%52.1%
Passes487452.3
Corners35.9
Fouls810.4

Union Berlin

8 matches this season, all competitions baseline
This matchAvg
Goals01.3
Conceded52.5
xG1.11.2
xG against3.042.1
Shots1712.5
On target44.8
Shots faced1416.9
xG per shot0.060.11
Possession45%41.5%
Passes394343.1
Corners44.3
Fouls1612.1

Timeline

  • 32' Goal Said El Mala competition goal #1 assist Linton Maina
  • 45' Sub Tom Rothe → Derrick Köhn
  • 48' Yellow Leopold Querfeld
  • 51' Goal Linton Maina competition goal #1 assist Said El Mala
  • 57' Sub Tim Skarke → Livan Burcu
  • 58' Sub M. Gray → Emmanuel Latte Lath
  • 60' Goal Said El Mala competition goal #2 assist Marius Bülter
  • 63' Sub Alessio Castro-Montes → Sebastian Sebulonsen
  • 68' Sub András Schäfer → Aljoscha Kemlein
  • 71' Sub Linton Maina → Jan Uwe Thielmann
  • 72' Sub Mikey Moore → Í. Bergmann Jóhannesson
  • 75' Sub Jeong Woo-Yeong → Marin Ljubičić
  • 77' Yellow Marin Ljubičić
  • 78' Goal Í. Bergmann Jóhannesson competition goal #3 assist Marius Bülter
  • 81' Sub Borna Sosa → Gideon Mensah
  • 81' Sub Said El Mala → Reigan Heskey
  • 84' Yellow Sebastian Sebulonsen
  • 88' Goal Sebastian Sebulonsen competition goal #1 assist Reigan Heskey
  • 90' Yellow Livan Burcu

Category leaders

  • Key passesMichel Aebischer8
  • Duels wonJoel Schmied10/12
  • DribblesDerrick Köhn2/3
  • Defensive actionsZeno Van Den Bosch8
  • ShotsSaid El Mala4 (on target 2)
  • Fouls wonLinton Maina3
#Köln#Union Berlin#DFB-Pokal#Said El Mala#Linton Maina#Marius Bülter

This review was written by AI from match data (API-Football). FN Score and FN xPts are calculated by Fulltime Note using a published formula.