Hamburg faces relegation playoff
FORMER European champion Hamburg SV beat Schalke 04 2-0 yesterday to avoid direct relegation from the German Bundesliga and snatch a playoff spot for the second consecutive year as Paderborn and SC Freiburg went down.
Second-half goals from Ivica Olic and Slobodan Rajkovic lifted Hamburg, the only team to have played in the Bundesliga every season since its creation in 1963, to 35 points in 16th place.
It will now face a playoff against the third best team in the second division, which will be decided today.
Paderborn, which was promoted last season, lost 1-2 to VfB Stuttgart, which moved up to 36 points and safety in a dramatic Bundesliga finale. Daniel Ginczek was the hero for Stuttgart, scoring in the 72nd minute.
Freiburg scored a late consolation goal in its 1-2 loss to Hanover 96, which also pulled clear of danger on the final day. Japan midfielder Hiroshi Kiyotake’s third-minute header and an 84th-minute own goal from Pavel Krmas saved Hanover while Nils Petersen’s injury time strike was too late for Freiburg.
Elsewhere, Borussia Dortmund gave its coach Juergen Klopp a winning send-off as it held off Werder Bremen 3-2 at home to qualify for the Europa League next season .
In other matches, it was: FC Cologne 2, VfL Wolfsburg 2; Hoffenheim 2, Hertha Berlin 1; Bayern Munich 2, Mainz 0; Eintracht Frankfurt 2, Bayer Leverkusen 1; and Borussia Moenchengladbach 1, Augsburg 3.
Meanwhile, Herve Renard quit as Ivory Coast manager on Friday, three months after delivering a long-awaited African Cup of Nations title.
Renard is expected to take charge of French top-flight club Lille.
The Ivory Coast Football Federation said it had agreed to end the 46-year-old Frenchman’s contract early. Renard has been linked with the head coach role at Lille with current boss Rene Girard due to leave at the end of the season.
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