Lift off for René Wagner at Cologne after crucial Werder Bremen win

Apr 12, 2026 - 22:30

In defeating Werder Bremen 3-1 on Matchday 29, Cologne have arrested a slump in form that threatened to unravel their Bundesliga season. The man credited with turning around the Rhineland club's fortunes is interim head coach René Wagner, whose impact has been immediate. Succeeding Lukas Kwasniok following his dismissal last month, Wagner was tasked with steering the club away from the relegation zone.

That didn't look like a particularly straight-forward task either, given that Cologne were on a run of seven matches without a win at the time of his appointment. Nevertheless, in his first game as interim boss, Wagner made a raft of late substitutions that showcased his managerial credentials and helped Cologne pick up a valuable point at Eintracht Frankfurt in the process.