After failing to confirm it in their last two games, FC Ingolstadt have finally secured promotion to the Bundesliga. A 2-1 win over RB Leipzig was enough to wrap up the 2. Bundesliga title for the Bavarian club with one game to spare and ensure they will be the 54th club to grace the top flight of German football. Meanwhile, there’s sure to be a final-day thriller in the second division as well, with only one point separating SV Darmstadt 98, Karlsruher SC and 1. FC Kaiserslautern in second, third and fourth respectively.
The final-day relegation battle won’t be one for the feint-hearted either, with six sides all still yet to secure their safety going into the final game. SV Sandhausen are in pole position with 38 points to their name, followed by Greuther Fürth, St. Pauli (37 each), 1860 München, FSV Frankfurt (36 each) and Erzgebirge Aue (35). VfR Aalen sit bottom of the table with 31 points and are now officially relegated to the third tier.
FCI come from behind
Leipzig’s Dominik Kaiser put Ingolstadt one goal down after four minutes in front of 15,000 fans in Bavaria. “It’s still in our own hands – you should sense that against Leipzig,” said coach Ralph Hasenhüttl before the game, but the hosts looked anything but assured for long periods. Mathew Leckie got FCI back level from the spot at the halfway mark, before Stefan Lex netted the winner in the 76th minute.
Two goals from Rouwen Hennings kept Karlsruher SC’s hopes of direct promotion alive, as a 2-0 win over Braunschweig moved them above Kaiserslautern into third after FCK were held to a 0-0 draw by Aue.
Aalen the first to take the drop
VfR Aalen took a 12th-minute lead in their game against the visitors from Heidenheim, but we unable to hold on as a 4-2 defeat condemned them to relegation from the second tier. There were vital wins for 1860, St. Pauli and Fürth to ensure they are outside the bottom three going into the final day next week, but defeats for FSV Frankfurt and Sandhausen mean they are still involved in the relegation dogfight.