Fortuna Köln vs TuS Koblenz

Koblenz, competing in the Oberliga Rheinland-Pfalz/Saar, struck first in the 11th minute. Marcel Wingender pounced on a loose ball after a corner, stabbing home from close range after the ball had come back off the post.

Fortuna had already missed a gilt-edged chance moments earlier: Romeo Aigbekaen, a new signing, rounded goalkeeper Kevin Birk after a through ball from Enzo Wirtz but saw his shot cleared off the line by a recovering defender.

"I was through and thought I could just tap it in," Aigbekaen told the club's website. "I should have hit it harder and didn't expect the centre-back to still be running with me."

Fortuna's pressure finally told in first-half stoppage time. Aigbekaen was brought down in the box, and Wirtz calmly converted the penalty to make it 1-1 at the break.

Mink changed his entire outfield XI at half-time — a standard pre-season approach — and the impact was immediate. Timo Bornemann put Fortuna ahead within 60 seconds of the restart, scoring from close range to make it 2-1.

The goal of the day came in the 58th minute. Trialist Jasper Löffelsend delivered a pinpoint cross, and Luca Majetic controlled and finished in one movement to make it 3-1. Dejan Galjen completed the scoring in the 78th minute, turning home a Max Fischer delivery.

"It was a decent start — no more, no less," Mink said. "We came through without injuries, won, and were able to draw some good conclusions from our first competitive match."

Romeo Aigbekaen — The new forward was involved in both first-half goals, winning the penalty that Wirtz converted after seeing his own early effort cleared off the line. His pace caused Koblenz problems throughout the opening 45 minutes.

Enzo Wirtz — Scored the crucial equaliser from the spot just before half-time and provided the assist for Aigbekaen's early chance. A composed presence in central midfield.

Luca Majetic — Produced the pick of the goals with a classy first-time finish from Löffelsend's cross. His technique stood out in a second-half display that raised the tempo significantly.

Timo Bornemann — Scored within 60 seconds of coming on at half-time, setting the tone for Fortuna's dominant second period.

Fortuna's complete XI change at half-time makes traditional match stats difficult to interpret as a single game. The first half was evenly contested — Koblenz took their chance from a set-piece, while Fortuna created the better openings but lacked sharpness. The second half was one-sided: Mink's fresh legs exploited a tiring Koblenz side, producing three goals in 32 minutes. The 4-1 scoreline flatters neither side — it accurately reflects Fortuna's superiority after the restart.

This was Fortuna Köln's first pre-season friendly ahead of the 2026-27 Regionalliga West campaign. The squad is still integrating new arrivals including Aigbekaen and trialist Löffelsend. Mink will have been encouraged by the second-half intensity and the fact that three different players got on the scoresheet.

Absent from the squad were goalkeeper Ben Zich, along with Bennit Bröger and Hamadi Al Ghaddioui. Su Najar, Salim Hadouchi, Vleron Statovci and Jonathan Kafu were available but did not feature.

Fortuna continue their pre-season programme against Kickers Offenbach at the Südstadion on 1 August 2026.

A textbook pre-season friendly: uneven first half, sharp second half, no injuries, and goals spread across the squad. Mink's second-half XI looked notably more cohesive, which bodes well as Fortuna build towards the Regionalliga campaign. Aigbekaen's pace and directness could be a significant asset this season.