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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
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.
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.
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 win was Cologne's 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.
The hosts went above 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.
VfB Stuttgart welcome Hamburg this Sunday hoping to move third, while Mainz also take on Freiburg.
On Saturday, leaders Bayern Munich broke the Bundesliga season goals record 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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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