FC Koln vs Werder Bremen

FC Köln ended a nine-game winless run with a vital 3-1 victory over Werder Bremen in a Bundesliga relegation showdown on Sunday. The game turned on a pivotal moment when Bremen captain Marco Friedl was sent off in the 24th minute for a last-man foul, forcing the visitors to dig in with ten men for the remainder of the match. Said El Mala had already put the hosts ahead from the penalty spot in the 11th minute after Jakub Kamiński was fouled. Ragnar Ache doubled the lead in the 65th minute following a corner — Özkacar having first struck the post — before Romano Schmid pulled one back with a VAR-awarded penalty in the 75th minute, converting after the review confirmed Ache had fouled Olivier Deman. Isak Jóhannesson ended any hope of a comeback with a cool finish deep in stoppage time. The win — Köln's first under interim coach René Wagner — lifts them to 13th place, five points above the relegation play-off zone. Werder Bremen slide to 15th after a second successive defeat, uncomfortably close to the drop with five rounds to play.