Sports
LIV CEO: League has backing to finish '26 season
LIV Golf CEO Scott O'Neil assures financial backing for the 2026 season amid funding concerns.
ESPN News1 min read
Sports
Cologne win relegation clash with Bremen, Stuttgart smile in third
TL;DR
Cologne secured a crucial 3-1 victory against Werder Bremen, alleviating their relegation concerns. Meanwhile, VfB Stuttgart climbed to third place in the Bundesliga with a dominant 4-0 win over SV Hamburg.
Cologne's Isak Johannesson celebrates scoring his side's third goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between 1. FC Cologne and Werder Bremen at RheinEnergieStadion. Marius Becker/dpa
Cologne eased their Bundesliga relegation fears on Sunday with a 3-1 home win over 10-man Werder Bremen, who remain three points above the danger zone.
VfB Stuttgart meanwhile moved above RB Leipzig into third place on goal difference with a 4-0 home romp over mid-table SV Hamburg. In the late game, Mainz take on Freiburg.
Cologne's victory was their first in nine matches and first under interim coach René Wagner after last weekend's 2-2 draw at Eintracht Frankfurt in his opening game in charge.
Saïd El Mala netted his first top-flight penalty for the Billy Goats early on after Olivier Deman fouled Jakub Kamiński.
The Germany under-21 winger has 11 Bundesliga goals this season after a third in four games.
"The three points have done wonders for the whole squad. We deserved it," the 19-year-old told DAZN. "We played the better game."
Things got worse for Bremen midway through the first half when skipper Marco Friedl was sent off for a professional foul and the visitors barely threatened thereafter.
Cologne made it 2-0 through Ragnar Ache on 65 minutes but the striker later conceded a spot-kick which Romano Schmid converted. Ísak Jóhannesson secured Cologne's victory in stoppage time.
Bremen host Hamburg in a crucial northern derby next Saturday without their captain in an already injury-hit defence.
The home side leapfrogged fourth-bottom Bremen and now sit five points clear of the relegation play-off spot and nine above the automatic drop zone, occupied by Wolfsburg and Heidenheim.
In Stuttgart, Germany World Cup hopefuls Angelo Stiller, Chris Führich and Maximilian Mittelstädt scored to put the hosts four points above fifth-placed Bayer Leverkusen, who won at Borussia Dortmund on Saturday when Leipzig edged Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Deniz Undav blazed over a late penalty before Bilal El Khannouss added the fourth with a deflected effort.
The Bundesliga is behind Spain in the race for a fifth Champions League berth next term and may have to settle for four, making Stuttgart's win over Hamburg all the more important with five games to go.
On Saturday, Stuttgart's next opponents Bayern Munich broke the Bundesliga season goals record (now 105) and moved within four points of retaining their title with a 5-0 triumph at third-bottom St Pauli, who are languishing in the relegation play-off place.
The other big news of the Bundesliga weekend was mid-table Union Berlin's decision to sack Steffen Baumgart and appoint Marie-Louise Eta until the end of the season, making her the first woman to solely coach a men's team in Europe's top five leagues.
Werder Bremen's Romano Schmid (2nd L) celebrate scoring his side's first goal with teammate Salim Musah during the German Bundesliga soccer match between 1. FC Cologne and Werder Bremen at RheinEnergieStadion. Marius Becker/dpa
Cologne's Ragnar Ache (R) celebrates scoring his side's second goal with teammate Eric Martel (L) during the German Bundesliga soccer match between 1. FC Cologne and Werder Bremen at RheinEnergieStadion. Marius Becker/dpa
Cologne's Said El Mala celebrates scoring his side's first goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between 1. FC Cologne and Werder Bremen at RheinEnergieStadion. Marius Becker/dpa
Q&A
How did Cologne's win affect their relegation status in the Bundesliga?
Cologne's 3-1 victory over Werder Bremen eased their relegation fears, moving them further away from the danger zone.
Who scored the goals for Cologne in their match against Werder Bremen?
Isak Johannesson scored the third goal for Cologne in their 3-1 victory against Werder Bremen.
What was the significance of Stuttgart's win over SV Hamburg?
VfB Stuttgart's 4-0 win over SV Hamburg allowed them to move above RB Leipzig into third place in the Bundesliga on goal difference.
Who is the interim coach of Cologne and what was notable about this match?
Cologne's interim coach is René Wagner, and this match marked their first victory in nine matches and his first win in charge.
