Bundesliga
Saïd El Mala's brilliant solo goal gave Cologne a 1-0 victory over Hoffenheim, with goalkeeper Marvin Schwäbe making several crucial saves to secure the three points in the Matchday 6 curtain-raiser.
Hoffenheim 0-1 Cologne
Goals: 0-1 El Mala 16'
Both Hoffenheim and Cologne came into this Friday night encounter level on seven points from their opening five Bundesliga matches. The hosts were looking for their first home win of the season, while the Billy Goats were aiming to bounce back from consecutive defeats.
The visitors made three changes to the side that lost to VfB Stuttgart, with El Mala making his first Bundesliga start after five impressive substitute appearances. For the hosts, Christian Ilzer surprisingly left club record goalscorer Andrej Kramarić on the bench, while former Cologne striker Tim Lemperle started against his old club.
The match began with both teams looking to attack, and Muhammed Damar had the first clear opportunity for Hoffenheim in the sixth minute, but Schwäbe produced an excellent save.
The decisive moment came in the 16th minute when El Mala collected the ball on the left wing following good work from Eric Martel, drove into the penalty area, skipped past three defenders and drilled a low shot between Oliver Baumann's legs.
Hoffenheim responded well to going behind, with Touré forcing another excellent save from Schwäbe in the 24th minute when clean through on goal. The referee initially awarded Hoffenheim a penalty in the 41st minute when Touré's shot appeared to strike Martel's arm, but overturned his decision after a VAR review.
The guests made a change at half-time with Ragnar Ache replacing Jan Thielmann, who had been on the receiving end of some heavy challenges. Hoffenheim started the second period strongly, with Fisnik Asllani firing just over from outside the box. The hosts continued to create chances, with Touré denied by a brilliant block from Joël Schmied in the 52nd minute.
El Mala remained dangerous on the counter-attack and tested Baumann from a tight angle after 63 minutes. Ilzer made several changes to try and find an equaliser, bringing on Kramarić and Ihlas Bebou, but Cologne defended resolutely, shifting to a 5-4-1 formation when out of possession.
Bebou came agonisingly close in the 88th minute, just failing to connect with Vladimir Coufal's cross, while Jakub Kamiński nearly sealed it for the visitors but was denied by an excellent Baumann save. Despite creating better chances overall, Hoffenheim couldn't find a way through as Cologne held on for a vital away victory.
El Mala justified his first Bundesliga start with a performance full of pace, skill and direct running that Hoffenheim struggled to contain throughout.
His magnificent solo goal proved the difference between the teams, showing exceptional close control to beat multiple defenders before finishing clinically. The youngster's dribbling ability was on display throughout, consistently creating problems for the Hoffenheim defence when driving forward with the ball.
Even beyond his decisive goal, El Mala provided an important outlet for his team with his ability to hold up play and carry the ball forward. His 272 fantasy points - the highest of any player in the match - underline his all-round contribution.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: Hoffenheim 1.45 - Cologne 0.99
Fastest player: Bazoumana Toure (Hoffenheim), 35.15 km/h
Lowest goal probability: 0-1 by Saïd El Mala (Cologne), 32 percent
Most pressed player: Bazoumana Toure (Hoffenheim), 20 times under pressure
Pass efficiency: Ísak Jóhannesson (Cologne), 4.0
Fantasy Heroes: Saïd El Mala (Cologne, 272 points), Eric Martel (Cologne, 184 points), Marvin Schwäbe (Cologne, 165 points)