Köln defeated Real Sociedad 2-1 in a Club Friendlies encounter on Friday evening. The home side took an early lead through L. Maina's goal in the fifth minute, only for the advantage to be halved when L. Lochoshvili turned that into an own goal ten minutes in. By then the game had settled into a rhythm neither side could break until the second half.
Köln found their way back ahead when N. Yacobi scored in the seventy-eighth minute. Real Sociedad had their chances to equalise but could not find a way through a home defence that grew steadier as the minutes passed. The visitors saw the game out with determination, even if the result left them with a familiar feeling of near-misses.
Both managers made their changes at similar stages of the match. G. Mensah came on for Köln in the forty-seventh minute, while Real Sociedad brought on A. Barrenetxea and S. El Mala together in the sixty-second. The visitors added R. Ache and C. Soler in the seventy-sixth, with I. Johannesson completing their reshuffle shortly after.
The statistics tell a flat story. Each side controlled exactly fifty per cent of possession, and the attack counts were nearly identical — 119 for Köln against 116 for Real Sociedad. Three corners to four makes little difference when neither team could convert pressure into clear-cut opportunities.
Köln's recent form shows a team still finding its feet. They drew 2-2 with Hertha Berlin and lost 1-5 to Bayern Munich in May, but the eight-goal victory over Bergisch-Gladbach suggested flashes of promise. Real Sociedad's run included a win against Wolves and a defeat to Toulouse, indicating they too are in transition.
The final scoreline reflects a match decided by moments rather than dominance. Köln's goal difference in this fixture stands at plus one, and while the result means little beyond the confidence of a home win, the manner of it — a comeback after conceding — is what matters.