Paderborn return to Bundesliga as late goal sends Wolfsburg down

BERLIN: Paderborn sealed promotion back to the Bundesliga after Laurin Curda struck in extra-time to earn a 2-1 home victory over Wolfsburg in Monday's second-leg relegation playoff, sending the 2009 German champions down 2-1 on aggregate.

The result takes Paderborn back to the top flight after a six-season absence, while Wolfsburg's 29-year stay in the Bundesliga came to an end. The visitors, who played almost the entire match with 10 men, became only the second top-division side in the last 14 seasons to lose the two-legged relegation playoff.

Wolfsburg had made the brighter start and went ahead in the third minute when Dzenan Pejcinovic fired a low effort into the bottom corner. But their task became far harder soon after when Joakim Maele was booked 11 minutes in for kicking the ball away during a scuffle, then shown a second yellow card moments later for a reckless sliding challenge that caught Mattes Hansen on the knee. It was the earliest sending-off in the history of the relegation playoff.

With the numerical advantage, Paderborn pushed forward repeatedly and found an equaliser just before halftime when Filip Bilbija headed in at the far post. Wolfsburg then held out through the remainder of normal time to force extra-time, but Curda settled the tie in the 99th minute, meeting a cross from Sven Michel with a volley that sparked celebrations among the home supporters.

Wolfsburg's season ends in relegation

Wolfsburg had entered the campaign hoping to compete for a European place, but will now play in Bundesliga 2 for the first time since 1997. The Volkswagen-backed club had the fifth most expensive squad in the Bundesliga.

Coach Dieter Hecking, who led Wolfsburg to the German Cup in 2015 and returned in a bid to preserve their top-flight status, said he was devastated by the outcome. Speaking to German television, he said:

"profoundly disappointed."

He added:

We tried absolutely everything -- and the players invested everything they had -- in an effort to keep the team in the league.

Hecking also addressed Maele's dismissal, saying:

"Look, we could discuss it, but it's ultimately futile to do so, because the referee made his decision, even if we view that incident in a completely different light"

Paderborn's winning goal came from a move started by Michel, a member of the club's 2018-19 promotion side, who delivered from the left for Curda to finish and complete the comeback.