VfB Stuttgart won the crucial battle for a Champions League spot against Bayer Leverkusen, pushing the Werkself potentially out of reach. Following Stuttgart’s victory, TSG Hoffenheim also seized the opportunity, moving three points clear of Leverkusen with a win over Werder Bremen. RB Leipzig secured third place with a home win against St. Pauli, while Augsburg kept their European ambitions alive with a victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach.
In what was widely described as a €20 million game, Leverkusen started with a lightning strike in Stuttgart. Aleix García scored in the first minute, but Ermedin Demirovic (5′) quickly equalized. Just before halftime, Maximilian Mittelstädt (45’+7) converted a penalty to make it 2-1. In the second half, Deniz Undav (58′) sealed the 3-1 final score.
“This match means everything against Leverkusen, and everyone in the stadium knows it,” VfB coach Sebastian Hoeneß said before the game. Compared to a possible Europa League spot, qualifying for the Champions League is financially far more lucrative. The starting fee alone is €18.6 million, more than four times the €4.3 million for the Europa League. A win in the Champions League is worth €2.1 million, compared to €450,000 in the Europa League. A club like Bayer, reaching the round of 16, pockets €11 million, not just €1.75 million as Stuttgart would in the Europa League.
RB Leipzig secured third place and a Champions League berth, while FC St. Pauli continues to face relegation to the 2. Bundesliga. With a 2-1 (1-0) win in their final home match of the season—watched by former and current club figures Ralf Rangnick and Jürgen Klopp—Leipzig achieved their season goal, though the first half was laborious. St. Pauli remains second from bottom. On the final matchday, the Kiezkickers face a showdown with VfL Wolfsburg, who play Bayern Munich on Saturday evening. As in the previous week against Mainz (1-2), the Hamburg side’s comeback came too late in the game.
Xaver Schlager (45′) relieved Leipzig’s 47,800 fans with what is likely his last goal for RB. The Austrian will leave the club, which has missed European qualification only once since promotion ten years ago. Defender Willi Orbán (54′) added a second from another corner. Shortly before the end, Abdoulie Ceesay (86′) sparked hope for Hamburg, just as he did against Mainz.
FC Augsburg kept their European dream alive with a clear home victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach. The Swabians deservedly won 3-1 (2-0) against a toothless and uninspired Gladbach side. A brace from Michael Gregoritsch (24′, 72′) and a goal by early substitute Robin Fellhauer (42′) provided a perfect home finale for FCA this Bundesliga season. Giovanni Reyna scored Gladbach’s consolation goal in stoppage time.
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim remains in the race for a Champions League spot until the very end, while Werder Bremen continues to worry about survival. The dominant Kraichgau side beat Daniel Thioune’s team 1-0 (1-0) on the penultimate matchday. The visitors, reduced to ten men early on, missed the chance to escape relegation on their own merit in front of 28,128 spectators in Sinsheim. Werder had to play almost the entire game a man down after Yukinari Sugawara was sent off in the 5th minute. A point would have been enough for the Hanseatic club to secure safety.
