News blog about 1. FC Cologne
Substituted injured in Frankfurt: All clear for Said El Mala
Updated April 6, 2026 – 7:59 p.mReading time: 6 minutes
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The 1. FC Cologne Doesn’t have to worry about Said El Mala being out for a long time. The 19-year-old did not suffer a structural injury in the away game at Eintracht Frankfurt. El Mala was examined at the MediaPark Clinic on Monday afternoon. The MRI showed no damage to the right ankle.
El Mala was substituted shortly before the end in Frankfurt on Sunday after complaining several times about problems with his right ankle. The billy goats now want to wait for the pain to develop day by day and assume that the top scorer will be able to play against Werder Bremen on Sunday.
1. FC Cologne is worried about Said El Mala after the 2-2 draw at Eintracht Frankfurt. The Billy Goats’ top scorer was substituted in the final stages on Easter Sunday due to an injury to his right ankle. El Mala lost his balance after scoring a goal and was unfortunate.
FC coach René Wagner hopes that it was just exhaustion that stopped El Mala. “I think he just put everything into it and then was a bit worn out,” said Wagner after the final whistle. On Monday, an examination at the Cologne Mediapark Clinic, where the MRI tube is probably waiting for the 19-year-old, will provide clarification.
1. FC Köln fought to a 2-2 draw at Eintracht Frankfurt – after a deficit that looked like defeat for a long time.
The game seemed lost until the 69th minute. Jonathan Burkardt took the lead for Frankfurt in the 66th minute. Three minutes later, Arnaud Kalimuendo increased the score to 2-0. Then Cologne struck back: Jakub Kaminski reduced the score to 1:2 in the 70th minute, and Alessio Castro-Montes equalized to 2:2 in the 83rd minute. Four goals in 17 minutes.
It was René Wagner’s first Bundesliga game as Cologne head coach. The club had previously fired Lukas Kwasniok as coach. A win was not achieved even under the new coach – for Cologne it was the eighth game in a row without three points. After the 28th matchday, Cologne is in 15th place, two points ahead of the relegation zone. This is occupied by FC St. Pauli.
Frankfurt missed its fourth home win in a row under coach Albert Riera and remains seventh in the table. The final phase was by one Rescue operation in the stands overshadowed.
