By Our Bundesliga Correspondent
RENE WAGNER secured his first win as Cologne boss in emphatic style as the “Billy Goats” dismantled a self-destructing Werder Bremen at the RheinEnergieStadion.
In a high-stakes “six-pointer” that could define the Bundesliga’s relegation scrap, it was the stars of the show—teenage sensation Said El Mala and the relentless Ragnar Ache—who ensured the home fans went home dreaming of safety.
Cologne didn’t wait long to draw blood. Just seven minutes in, Jakub Kamiński was bundled over in the box by Olivier Deman. Up stepped the 19-year-old El Mala, a youngster currently being tracked by half of the Premier League.
With the ice-cold composure of a seasoned veteran, he sent Bremen keeper Mio Backhaus the wrong way to ignite the home crowd.
Bremen’s afternoon turned sour—as veteran Leonardo Bittencourt put it post-match—when captain Marco Friedl saw red in the 24th minute.
The defender slipped at the worst possible moment, dragging down a goal-bound Ragnar Ache. Referee Tobias Reichel had no choice but to brandish the straight red card.
Against ten men, Cologne dominated, and it was Ache who finally doubled the lead in the 65th minute. After Cenk Özkacar’s thunderous effort rattled the post, Ache saw his first follow-up saved, only to hammer home the rebound at the third time of asking.
There was a late flutter of nerves when Ache turned villain for a moment, conceding a penalty that Romano Schmid clinically converted for Bremen. But as the visitors pushed for a miracle, Cologne’s Icelandic ace Ísak Bergmann Jóhannesson finished them off.
Deep into stoppage time, Jóhannesson led a clinical counter-attack, forcing an own goal from the unfortunate Backhaus to seal the 3-1 scoreline.
The victory moves Cologne five points clear of the drop zone and puts the league on notice: under Wagner, the Billy Goats are ready to fight.
FC COLOGNE: Schwäbe, Thielmann, Özkacar, Simpson-Pusey, Martel, Kamiński, Jóhannesson, El Mala (Waldschmidt 82), Ache.
WERDER BREMEN: Backhaus, Friedl (RED 24), Pieper, Deman, Bittencourt, Schmid.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Said El Mala (FC Cologne)
