FC Viktoria Köln vs TSV Steinbach

Steinbach held firm for the opening 15 minutes of the second half, but two individual errors — described by Laumann as "individuelle Fehler" — undid their resistance. Carella's goal in the 60th minute forced the Regionalliga side to push forward, leaving space for Viktoria's young substitutes to exploit.

Viktoria coach Marian Wilhelm's decision to rotate the entire outfield at half-time was decisive. The second-half lineup featured several U19 talents and trialists, including forward Alexander Prokopenko and midfielder Kiyan Ermis, who injected fresh energy against a tiring Steinbach side that had also made multiple changes.

Raphael Ott — The midfielder scored twice in 11 minutes (72', 83'), the first a composed finish and the second capping a dominant spell. His movement between the lines caused Steinbach's reshuffled defence constant problems.

Joel Vega Zambrano — Opened the scoring with a well-timed header from Pledl's cross and was a focal point in the first-half attack.

Samuele Carella — The Italian forward broke the game open with a clinical finish just after the hour mark, his goal coming at a point when Steinbach still believed they could take something from the match.

Ege Sarikaya — Viktoria's academy graduate added a fourth on 74 minutes, a reward for energetic pressing during his cameo off the bench.

Viktoria's 5-0 scoreline from 5 goals on 5 shots on target (per the match timeline) suggests excellent efficiency rather than relentless dominance. The 1-0 half-time scoreline reflects a more even contest than the final margin suggests — Steinbach had opportunities of their own, according to Laumann, but lacked precision in the final third.

Viktoria's split-squad approach (completely different XIs in each half) means the 5-0 margin was built by two distinct groups. The first XI scored once, the second XI scored four times — a depth indicator that will please Wilhelm ahead of the 3. Liga season.

Viktoria Koln have now won all three pre-season friendlies this summer without conceding a goal (4-1 vs Bonner SC, plus this 5-0). The 3. Liga side will play their fourth friendly next before the competitive season begins. Steinbach Haiger, who compete in the Regionalliga Sudwest, continue their own preparation with lessons about the step up in quality when facing third-division opposition.

Steinbach's Laumann told local media: "We held our own very well in the first half and could even have taken the lead with a bit more luck in front of goal. A draw would have been fair at that point. After the break, we made a lot of changes, and we were still on level terms for about ten minutes. But then two individual errors put us on the back foot, and we completely collapsed against a young, hungry third-division side."

A deserved win for Viktoria Koln built on squad depth and second-half intensity. Steinbach's first-half performance showed they can compete at this level in patches, but the 12-minute spell after the hour mark exposed the gulf in fitness and finishing quality between the two German tiers. Viktoria's pre-season momentum continues to build.