Union Berlin suffered a heavy 5-0 defeat away to 1. FC Köln in the DFB-Pokal on Tuesday night, October 27, 2026, as BZ Berlin reported. Played in pouring rain at the RheinEnergieStadion before 49,000 spectators, the match eliminated the capital club from the tournament and exposed lingering defensive frailties just days before both teams meet again in the Bundesliga. The victory earned the club from Cathedral City nearly one million euros in prize money.

Steffen Baumgart Watches From the Tribunes in Cologne

Former Union Berlin coach Steffen Baumgart watched the cup tie from the stands alongside his wife, Katja, observing two of his former clubs collide in heavy rain. Baumgart had been dismissed from his role in Köpenick back in April. Down on the pitch, current Union boss Mauro Lustrinelli made a surprise tactical shift by handing young attacker Mekhi Gray his first career start. Lustrinelli explained before kickoff that Gray was selected to provide the physical presence needed in the final third. Yet, as sportschau.de detailed, the hosts seized control early, leaving Union goalkeeper Matheo Raab to make crucial stops to keep the deficit at just 1-0 by halftime. Before the breakthrough, Union had managed brief offensive flashes, including a 30th-minute header from Zeno van den Bosch that missed the target and a 20-yard shot from Michel Aebischer that missed wide.

Said El Mala Orchestrates Cologne Second Half Surge

The match broke wide open after the interval as Cologne’s attack overwhelmed the visitors. Saïd El Mala opened the scoring in the 32nd minute after combining with Linton Maina, capitalizing on loose defending from Leopold Querfeld—who had replaced the injured Uduokhai in the backline. Earlier in the 25th minute, Maina had already struck the right goalpost following a pass from El Mala. Just after the break, a botched clearance by half-time substitute Köhn allowed El Mala to set up Maina for the 2-0 advantage in the 52nd minute. El Mala added his second and Cologne’s third on the hour mark with a curling shot from a tight angle. Isak Johannesson and Sebastian Sebulonsen completed the 5-0 rout with goals in the 78th and 88th minutes, respectively. Following a yellow card earlier in the match, Querfeld avoided a red card when referee Sven Jablonski ruled that his challenge stopping the advancing Mikey Moore was not a foul.

Lustrinelli Views Result as Stumble Before Sunday Rematch

Coach Lustrinelli characterized the result as an unfortunate stumble rather than a permanent derailment of their development. Both squads must quickly turn their focus back to league competition, as they face each other once more on Sunday, November 1, 2026, at 15:30 local time (CET) at the Alte Försterei in Berlin.