FC Köln played to a 1-1 draw against Werder Bremen on Saturday evening in front of a sold-out crowd of 50,000 at the Köln-Stadion. Linton Maina gave the hosts an early lead in the 11th minute after Tom Krauß won the ball from Amos Pieper and Ellyes Skhiri was involved in the build-up.
The equaliser came in the 69th minute when Niclas Füllkrug scored for Werder Bremen, Der Spiegel Fussball reported the goal in the 69th minute, Die Welt Sport in the 70th. The 33-year-old striker returned to Werder Bremen this summer after three years away, having previously played for Borussia Dortmund, West Ham United and AC Milan.
Early on, Köln had a chance to double their lead when Thijs Dallinga took a penalty in the 8th minute, but Karl Hein saved it for Werder Bremen. Mikey Moore came on as a substitute for Köln in the 63rd minute, while Saïd El Mala entered the game in the 74th minute.
Werder Bremen brought on Mitchell Weiser in the 83rd minute, providing fresh legs after overcoming a cruciate ligament and meniscus injury earlier in his career. Oliver Deman had previously tested Marvin Schwäbe in the Köln goal, with the goalkeeper making the save.
Head coach René Wagner expressed his disappointment after the match: „Der 1. FC Köln hat den Heimsieg gegen Werder Bremen aus der Hand gegeben.“ Niclas Füllkrug summed up his goal simply: „mein zweites Saisontor“.
The result leaves FC Köln with a recent form of 3 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss from their last five games (DLWWW). The last meeting between the two sides also ended 1-1 on 12 September 2026.
FC Köln now turn their attention to an away trip to Hamburger SV on 19 September. The squad will look to build on their recent improvement and secure three points on the road.
