Cologne wins Bundesliga relegation duel
Cologne eased its Bundesliga relegation worries; Stuttgart took another step toward Champions League qualification and Freiburg defeated Mainz 1-0 away in a duel between European contenders.
Host Cologne enjoyed a 3-1 win over 10-man Werder Bremen that left the visiting team just outside the drop zone on Sunday.
It was the Billy Goats’ first win under interim coach Rene Wagner after a 2-2 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt on his debut last weekend.
Wagner was handed the reins for the rest of the season after Cologne fired Lukas Kwasniok as coach on March 22.
Bremen’s hopes took a major blow in the 24th minute when captain Marco Friedl was sent off for bringing down Ragnar Ache as the Cologne forward was through on goal.
Cologne moved five points above the relegation zone, while Bremen is just three points clear of danger with five rounds remaining.
The bottom two teams, Wolfsburg and Heidenheim, are now seven and nine points adrift respectively.
Champions League calling for Stuttgart: Stuttgart eased to a 4-0 win at home over Hamburger SV to reclaim third place from Leipzig on goal difference.
Germany forward Deniz Undav missed a late penalty minutes before substitute Bilal El Khannouss completed the scoring in the 86th.
Angelo Stiller, Chris Fuhrich and Maximilian Mittelstadt where the other scorers as Stuttgart stayed four points clear of fifth-place Bayer Leverkusen. The top four qualify for the Champions League
