Bundesliga match report: Hamburg v Cologne

Cologne dumped Hamburg right into the thick of a Bundesliga relegation battle with a 2-0 win at the Volksparkstadion on Saturday.

Marcel Risse scored twice in the second half as Peter Stoger's men weathered the storm and came out fighting to grab all three points.

The result lifted the victors five points clear of their hosts, who are facing up to yet another battle for survival after failing to build on what had seemed to be a promising winter break.

Less than 24 hours after completing his return to the club, Ivica Olic stood in the Hamburg starting XI for his second debut - eight years to the day since his first ever appearance for the northern side.

He had the first chance of the game too after 20 minutes, but scooped the ball over the crossbar at the near post.

Hamburg continued to take the game to their visitors, moving the ball around quickly and showing a keenness if not desperation to get the win.

Cologne were never in any serious danger, however, and just before the first half ended, they had the best chance of the half with Anthony Ujah taking the ball down on his chest 10 yards out, but he could not get much power or direction behind his shot.

Jaroslav Drobny made two saves to deny Daniel Halfar and Slawomir Peszko as Cologne started to show a bit more going forward, and they got their reward in the 63rd minute.

Peszko played the ball through to Risse, who held off his marker and then shot through Drobny's legs from a tight angle.

Cologne's second was almost a carbon copy, only Risse's angled shot did not go through Drobny's legs this time but just wide of him as it nestled in the far corner.

Cologne could have won more comprehensively too as Hamburg threw in the towel, allowing Yannick Gerhardt to miss the easiest of chances to put the cherry on top for the visitors late on.