1. FC Cologne
Cologne’s hopes rest on this duo
01/18/2026 – 2:04 p.mReading time: 3 minutes
Ragnar Ache led 1. FC Köln to victory against 1. FSV Mainz 05 with two goals on Saturday. The match winner praises one teammate in particular afterwards.
After half a year of getting started, Alessio Castro-Montes is now finally there 1. FC Cologne arrived – and, together with Ragnar Ache, becomes a decisive factor. In the 2-1 (0-1) win against 1. FSV Mainz 05, the Belgian provided his third assist in the second game after Christmas. For the summer newcomer, who was barely able to make more than four short appearances in the first half of the season after moving from Union Saint-Gilloise, this is the late reward for an impressive comeback.
“I’m very happy that I’m getting more chances to play now,” Castro-Montes said after the game. And the 28-year-old is currently making consistent use of his opportunity. He was already in the starting line-up at 1. FC Heidenheim, and against Mainz he was allowed to start again – and set the next mark.
The fact that Castro-Montes only sat on the bench in the game against FC Bayern Munich during the week had nothing to do with his performance. Coach Lukas Kwasniok explained the precautionary measure: “Against Bayern I had the feeling that if I let him run after a long time without playing, it wouldn’t work against Mainz.” This plan paid off against Mainz – Castro-Montes looked fresh, present and finally showed off his qualities.
Ragnar Ache also became the match winner. The striker had visibly struggled with himself in the past few weeks: only six starting eleven appearances and one goal in the first half of the season had eroded his self-confidence, and he recently missed several good chances in Heidenheim. Ache initially sat on the bench against Mainz. Kwasniok chose Marius Bülter up front – and justified this in advance: “A third game from the start would perhaps be too risky today.”
But in the second half, when FC were 0-1 behind against Mainz, Kwasniok brought in his beefy nine – and Ache immediately changed the game. With his force, the attacker caused unrest in the Mainz ranks, tied opponents and finally gave Cologne’s offensive game a clear target. After less than a quarter of an hour he was rewarded: Castro-Montes crossed with precision, Ache headed powerfully over the bottom edge of the crossbar to make it 1-1.
