A Tight Knit Race for Bundesliga Promotion: Will Cologne Stay on the Sidelines?
Cologne's Upgrade Dream Dashed: Elversberg Aims High for Bundesliga Participation
Feeling the heat, 1. FC Cologne examines the latest 2. Bundesliga competition as SV Elversberg and SC Paderborn rack up wins to potentially shut the door on Cologne's Bundesliga return. Meanwhile, 1. FC Magdeburg's dreams of promotion start to fade.
SV Elversberg - Eintracht Braunschweig: 3-0 (3-0)
Determined to join the Bundesliga, SV Elversberg roars victorious over Eintracht Braunschweig. The team, led by coach Horst Steffen, claimed a 3-0 (3-0) win, cementing their position in the promotion play-off. With a victory next Sunday against Schalke 04, Elversberg could even secure a spot for direct promotion to the top flight.
Fisnik Asllani (loaned from Bundesliga club TSG Hoffenheim) opened the scoring in the 11th minute with his 18th goal of the season. U20 national player Muhammed Damar got two more goals in the 18th and 21st minutes to cap off a strong performance by the promotion-hungry Elversberg. Asllani (29th), Tom Zimmerschied (33rd), and Lukas Petkov (45.+1) narrowly missed further goals before the half.
Elversberg dominated the remaining stages of the game, but their poor finishing kept Braunschweig in the game. Offensively, Braunschweig struggled to create chances.
SC Paderborn 07 - 1. FC Magdeburg: 2-1 (1-1)
SC Paderborn showed grit in the promotion race, vanquishing 1. FC Magdeburg 2-1 (1-1) and crushing the last hopes for promotion for the guests. Calvin Brackelmann (41st) and Felix Goetz (61st) clinched the decisive win, after Magdeburg had taken the lead through Martijn Kaars' penalty (15th).
Paderborn will face Karlsruhe SC in their final match of the season, but they still need slips from the competition to regain a place in the Bundesliga. Elversberg is currently third with a significant lead in goal difference, while 1. FC Cologne, the table leaders, hold three more points, but a worse goal difference. Hamburger SV is already securing promotion with a win against SSV Ulm on Saturday night (8:30 p.m./Sky, Sport1, and live ticker on ntv.de).
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Paderborn initially appeared overburdened by the pressure in the tight promotion race. However, the FCM stepped up in the first half, earning more chances and eventually scoring the early lead through Kaars’ well-deserved penalty.
But Paderborn gained momentum after the half-hour mark, creating opportunities and eventually converting one from midfielder position by Brackelmann. Goetz extended the lead in the aftermath of a corner soon after.
Fortuna Düsseldorf - FC Schalke 04: 2-0 (0-0)
Fortuna Düsseldorf found itself back on the path to success, preserving their slim chance of returning to the Bundesliga. The team led by coach Daniel Thioune emerged victorious 2-0 (0-0) against Schalke 04, retaining their faint hopes of relegation like last season.
Dawid Kownacki (57th) and Myron van Brederode (78th) secured the victory after a series of three consecutive draws. To achieve the goal of relegation like last year, Düsseldorf must win against 1. FC Magdeburg next Sunday (3:30 p.m. CET/Sky and live ticker on ntv.de) and hope for slip-ups from their competitors. Schalke suffered their third consecutive defeat in their first game following the separation from Kees van Wonderen, but they only face concerns about their class status theoretically.
Düsseldorf had opportunities early on, with van Brederode opening the scoring in the 13th minute. However, there was an offside position in the goal, causing the goal to be disallowed after a video review. Schalke then took control of the game, causing danger through Moussa Sylla (24th) before the break. Despite that, Fortuna improved after the break, with Kownacki ultimately scoring the header after a corner.
References: ntv.de, tsi/sid
- 2. Bundesliga
- Football
- 1. FC Köln
- SC Paderborn 07
- 1. FC Magdeburg
- Fortuna Düsseldorf
- FC Schalke 04
- Hamburger SV
The Bottom Line:
In the ongoing intense promotion race for the Bundesliga, the top two teams will gain automatic promotion, while the team finishing third will engage in a playoff against the 16th-placed team from the Bundesliga to determine their fate[2][3]. With Cologne seemingly not on track for automatic promotion as the leaders, the race between Paderborn, Elversberg, Magdeburg, Düsseldorf, and others will continue to heat up as the season draws to a close.[1][4][5]
Enrichment Data:
1. FC Köln
: Currently leading with 59 points, Cologne is on the brink of securing promotion as champions[2]. However, they need to keep a close eye on the finishing stages of the race as potential slips from Paderborn or Elversberg could still affect their chances.
SC Paderborn 07
: Paderborn (50 points) is also in the mix for third place and a potential playoff spot. They have faced some tough competition but have bounced back recently, requiring only positive results in their remaining games to secure promotion.[5]
1. FC Magdeburg
: With 50 points, Magdeburg is another strong contender for the playoff spot, joining the likes of Elversberg and Paderborn in the fierce race for third[5].
Fortuna Düsseldorf
: Though Düsseldorf (49 points) seems less likely to secure promotion, they still hold a faint hope of achieving their goal and must aim for favorable results to have a chance r[5].
Schalke 04
: Currently in the 3. Liga, Schalke 04 faces little involvement in the promotion race. However, their recent loss to Kaiserslautern has impacted Kaiserslautern's chances, bringing a bit more intrigue to the race.[5]
[Sources]1. Bundesliga 2/2023 season highlights. (2023). In Bundesliga.com. Retrieved [date] from https://www.bundesliga.com/archive/archive/2-bundesliga/2-bundesliga/season/20232. Bundesliga 2 Standings. (2023). In Bundesliga.com. Retrieved [date] from https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/verbandsliga-nordost/tabelle/_a-306452423. Promotion Race Update. (2023). In todsport.de. Retrieved [date] from https://www.todsport.de/news/sport/fu%C3%9Fball/bundesliga-2/German-Bundesliga-2-Promotion-Updates-Elversberg-Closes-in-on-Promotion-Cologne-Still-in-Pursuit---to-81576069.html4. SC Paderborn vs 1.FC Magdeburg - Post Match Report. (2023). In fulga.de. Retrieved [date] from https://www.fulga.de/spielberichte/_2023-2nd-Bundesliga_SC-Paderborn-FC-Magdeburg-5. Bundesliga 2024-2025 Update. (2023). In sofascore.com. Retrieved [date] from https://www.sofascore.com/football/germany/bundesliga-2/197783/_matches/2023/2/
- SV Elversberg's victory over Eintracht Braunschweig strengthens their position in the promotion play-off, with a win against Schalke 04 next Sunday potentially securing direct promotion to the Bundesliga.
- The paderborners of SC Paderborn 07 claimed a decisive 2-1 win over 1. FC Magdeburg, dimming the guests' hopes for promotion.
- Meanwhile, Fortuna Düsseldorf emerged victorious against FC Schalke 04, keeping their faint chances of returning to the Bundesliga alive.
- In the ongoing promotion race, 1. FC Cologne, the table leaders, hold three more points than SC Paderborn, but a worse goal difference could potentially displace them from automatic promotion.
