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05/25 16:23 CDT Wolfsburg relegated from Bundesliga after playoff defeat in
Paderborn
Wolfsburg relegated from Bundesliga after playoff defeat in Paderborn
PADERBORN, Germany (AP) --- Christian Eriksen and Wolfsburg were relegated from
the Bundesliga on Monday after losing at Paderborn 2-1 in the second leg of
their end-of-season playoff to determine which plays in Germany's top division
next season.
Laurin Curda scored Paderborn's promotion-clinching goal in the 10th minute of
extra time after Wolfsburg played all but the first 13 minutes with 10 players.
It gave Paderborn, which finished third in the second division, a 2-1win on
aggregate after the teams drew 0-0 in the first leg of their playoff in
Wolfsburg on Thursday.
It's Wolfsburg's first relegation since the Volkswagen-backed club was promoted
to the Bundesliga in 1997. Wolfsburg won the championship in 2009 but has
struggled in recent seasons. It survived playoff deciders against Eintracht
Braunschweig in 2017 and Holstein Kiel the following year and was forced into
another showdown for survival this season after again finishing third from
bottom.
It marks the end of a bitterly disappointing season for Eriksen, the Denmark
star who signed a two-year deal when he joined Wolfsburg in September. Eriksen
captained the side in Paderborn and received commiserations from opposing
players.
D?enan Pejcinovic got Wolfsburg off to a great start in the third minute, but
Joakim Mhle was sent off in the 14th with his second yellow card for a foul on
Mattes Hansen, just minutes after he got his first for pushing Filip Bilbija
over for flicking the ball away.
The sending off arguably changed the course of the game with only Paderborn
pushing forward. Bilbija duly equalized in the 39th with a diving header to
Calvin Brackelmann's header on from a long throw-in.
Paderborn remained the more proactive team with Sebastian Klaas striking the
post around the hour mark, but tiredness appeared to kick in afterward.
Curda finally made Paderborn's pressure count when Wolfsburg's defense left him
free at the back post to rifle in substitute Sven Michel's cross.
It's Paderborn's third promotion to the Bundesliga after 2014 and 2019. Its two
previous appearances were brief after finishing last in both 2015 and 2020.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
