Last minute drama: Hertha Berlin relegated

2023-05-20 15:59:03

After a 1-1 draw at home against VfL Bochum in the penultimate round of the Bundesliga on Saturday, the bottom team from Berlin can no longer reach safety. Hoffenheim, on the other hand, remains top notch with a 4-2 win in front of their own audience against Union Berlin. Schalke is on the relegation place after a 2-2 win at home against Eintracht Frankfurt, Bochum has one point more on the account.

Werder Bremen and 1. FC Köln drew 1-1, with Romano Schmid scoring the Hanseatic goal and thus scoring for the first time in the Bundesliga. Freiburg beat Wolfsburg 2-0 in front of their home crowd on Friday. In the evening game (6.30 p.m.), leaders FC Bayern received third-placed RB Leipzig. Dortmund, who are one point behind Bayern, will face FC Augsburg away on Sunday.

Hertha could hope for a long time thanks to Lucas Tousart’s 1-0 lead (63′). In the 94th minute, however, a header from Bochum’s Keven Schlotterbeck after a corner kick from Kevin Stöger sealed the seventh relegation of the capital club. VfL is now one point ahead of the relegation place.

In Sinsheim, Ihlas Bebou gave the hosts the lead in the 22nd minute. 14 minutes later, Christoph Baumgartner won a penalty, which Andrej Kramaric (36th) scored to make it 2-0. When Berlin scored 1:2 through Danilho Doekhi (45+4), Christopher Trimmel did the preparatory work with a corner. The Burgenlander was in action until the 69th minute, Baumgartner was substituted four minutes earlier. He saw more goals from Kramaric (89′) and Munas Dabbur (99′) and Aissa Laidouni (95′) in the finish.

Baumgartner’s ÖFB teammate Florian Kainz prepared the Cologne lead by Steffen Tigges (36th) in Bremen with a measured cross from the right. Dejan Ljubicic had already been substituted at that point because of the eminent danger of a yellow-red card. Kainz has now posted an assist in each of his three most recent Bundesliga appearances. According to the data provider Opta, the Styrian, who was substituted in the 78th minute, was the first Cologne professional to achieve ten assists in a season since data collection began in 2004/05.

Schmid, who was substituted at the break, equalized in the 73rd minute from close range and an acute angle. The Austrian, whose club colleague Marco Friedl was in action for the entire duration of the match, celebrated his first Bundesliga goal ever.

The clash between Schalke and Oliver Glasner’s Eintracht also ended in a draw. After goals from Simon Terodde (1st) and Sebastian Polter (85th) and Daichi Kamada (21st) and Tuta (59th) the “Royal Blues” saved a 2:2 in front of the home crowd and were lucky that when the score was 1: 2 a penalty for the visitors was taken back by VAR for dubious reasons. Schalke are in the relegation zone, one point behind Bochum and two points ahead of penultimate Stuttgart, who play in Mainz on Sunday.