Cologne wins Bundesliga relegation duel 3-1 against 10-man Werder Bremen

BERLIN (AP) — Cologne eased its Bundesliga relegation worries on Sunday with a 3-1 win over 10-man Werder Bremen that left the visiting team just outside the drop zone.

It was Cologne's first win under interim coach René 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.

Cologne's young star Said El Mala converted an early penalty and Bremen’s hopes took another 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.

Ache had to wait until the 65th before scoring at the third attempt. Cenk Özkacar’s effort came off the post and Mio Backhaus saved Ache’s shot from the rebound, but Ache scored from the next.

Ache then conceded a penalty for a foul on Olivier Deman, and Romano Schmid gratefully swept the penalty inside the left post in the 76th for an exciting finale until Isak Bergmann Johannesson finally settled the result on a counterattack during the last play of the game.

It meant Cologne moved five points above the relegation zone, while Bremen is just three points clear of danger with five rounds remaining. It was a bad result for the bottom two, Wolfsburg and Heidenheim, now seven and nine points adrift, respectively.

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 Führich and Maximilian Mittelstädt were the other scorers as Stuttgart stayed four points clear of fifth-place Bayer Leverkusen. The top four qualify for the Champions League.

Mainz hosts Freiburg later for a duel between European contenders after their victories Thursday in the Conference League and Europa League.

Bayern Munich can clinch the title as early as next Sunday at home against Stuttgart if second-place Borussia Dortmund drops more points at Hoffenheim the day before.

Bayern, which broke its own goals record on Saturday, leads Dortmund by 12 points with five rounds remaining.

Also Saturday, Union Berlin fired Steffen Baumgart as coach and gave the job to Marie-Louise Eta for the rest of the season, making her the first female head coach in men’s soccer in the Bundesliga and across the top divisions of Europe’s “big five” leagues.

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Stuttgart's Angelo Stiller, right, Jamie Leweling celebrates with Jamie Leweling after scoring the opening goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between VfB Stuttgart and Hamburger SV, in Stuttgart, Germany, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (Katharina Kausche/dpa via AP)

Stuttgart's Bilal El Khannouss, left, celebrates with Maximilian Mittelstädt after scoring his side's fourth goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between VfB Stuttgart and Hamburger SV, in Stuttgart, Germany, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (Marijan Murat/dpa via AP)

Koln's Ragnar Ache, right, celebrates with Eric Martel, left, after scoring his side's second goal during German Bundesliga soccer match between 1. FC Koln and Werder Bremen and Werder Bremen, in Cologne, Germany, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (Marius Becker/dpa via AP)

Koln's Ragnar Ache scores his side's second goal during German Bundesliga soccer match between 1. FC Koln and Werder Bremen and Werder Bremen, in Cologne, Germany, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (Marius Becker/dpa via AP)

Koln's Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, left, and Werder Bremen's Justin Njinmah challenge for the ball during German Bundesliga soccer match between 1. FC Koln and Werder Bremen and Werder Bremen, in Cologne, Germany, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (Marius Becker/dpa via AP)

Koln's Said El Mala celebrates after scoring the opening goal during German Bundesliga soccer match between 1. FC Koln and Werder Bremen and Werder Bremen, in Cologne, Germany, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (Marius Becker/dpa via AP)

Koln's Isak Johannesson celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during German Bundesliga soccer match between 1. FC Koln and Werder Bremen and Werder Bremen, in Cologne, Germany, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (Marius Becker/dpa via AP)

COTONOU, Benin (AP) — The polls have closed in Benin where voters cast their ballots on Sunday to choose a successor to President Patrice Talon, who is stepping down after a decade in power, leaving a mixed legacy of economic growth, a growing jihadi insurgency in the north, and the suppression of opposition critics.

Romuald Wadagni, the 49-year-old finance minister and governing coalition standard-bearer, is considered Talon’s anointed successor for the seven-year term. Wadagni is being challenged by Paul Hounkpè, the sole opposition candidate.

Nearly 8 million are registered to vote across more than 17,000 polling stations in the West African nation. Benin had over 15 million people in 2024, and like many sub-Saharan African countries, its population is overwhelmingly young.

Vote counting began Sunday afternoon after the polls closed, with results expected within 48 hours.

Turnout has been low in recent years, and polling stations in Cotonou, the largest city, were sparsely attended throughout the morning. The city was quiet as the election began, with public demonstrations banned on election day, but stores and streets remain open.

Analysts widely expect Wadagni to win after a parliamentary election in January, during which the opposition failed to cross the 20% threshold required to win seats, leaving Talon’s two allied parties in control of all 109 seats in the National Assembly.

Renaud Agbodjo, leader of the Democrats, was barred from competing after failing to secure a sufficient number of parliamentary endorsements — a threshold critics say was engineered to keep rivals out.

Wadagni has touted the country's economic growth during his decade as finance minister as his key strength. Benin’s economy grew 7% last year, making it one of West Africa’s steadiest performers.

“Ten years at the Finance Ministry have given him something rare in African politics: a quantified record — verifiable and difficult to dismantle in a serious debate,” said Fiacre Vidjingninou, political analyst at the Lagos-based Béhanzin Institute.

While Benin has historically been among the most stable democracies in Africa, opposition leaders and human rights organizations have accused Talon of using the justice system as a tool to sideline his political opponents.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have denounced a sustained crackdown on dissent under Talon, citing arbitrary detentions, tighter restrictions on public demonstrations, and mounting pressure on independent media outlets.

Protests over the rising cost of living sprang up in recent years, but the government and security forces clamped down on any dissent.

Beverly Ochieng, an analyst at the Control Risks Group consulting firm, told The Associated Press that, in the event of a Wadagni victory, the new government will likely continue Talon's policies aimed at positioning Benin as a stable investment environment, while facing a largely constrained opposition.

“Wadagni may want to avert a crisis in confidence by first consolidating power then engaging in dialogue with opponents to demonstrate goodwill,” Ochieng said.

In December, a group of military officers attempted to topple Talon’s government in a failed coup, the latest in a series of recent military takeover attempts across Africa. Most attempted coups follow a similar pattern of disputed elections, constitutional upheaval, security crises, and youth discontent.

Among the coup leaders’ key complaints was the deterioration of security in northern Benin.

For years, Benin has faced spillover violence in its north from neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger in their battle against the al-Qaida-affiliated extremist group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, or JNIM.

The tri-border area has long been a hotbed for extremist violence, a trend worsened by the lack of security cooperation with Niger and Burkina Faso, both now led by military juntas.

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McMakin Contributed from Dakar

Electoral officials prepare presidential ballot papers at a polling station in Cotonou, Benin, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Abadjaye Justin Sodogandji)

A woman is verified before casting her ballot at a polling station in Cotonou, Benin, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Abadjaye Justin Sodogandji)

A man casts his ballot at a polling station in Cotonou, Benin, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Abadjaye Justin Sodogandji)

A motorcyclist stands beside a billboard featuring presidential candidate Paul Hounkpe in Cotonou, Benin, Friday, April 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Abadjaye Justin Sodogandji)

Presidential candidate Romuald Wadagni greets supporters at a campaign rally in Cotonou, Benin, Friday, April 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Abadjaye Justin Sodogandji)

Road users pass in front of a campaign billboard for presidential candidate Paul Hounkpe and his running mate, Rock Hounwanou in Cotonou, Benin, Friday, April 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Abadjaye Justin Sodogandji)