BERLIN, May 15. (DPA/PE) –
Werder Bremen followed Schalke 04 on Sunday on the path to returning to the highest category of German football, the Bundesliga, while Hamburg could finally leave the second division again if they win the tie against Hertha Berlin.
Four-time Bundesliga champions Bremen beat Regensburg 2-0 to finish second behind Schalke in the standings. “There is a lot of emotion. We are very proud to have taken this last step today,” said Bremen manager Clemens Fritz.
Schalke, who had already achieved promotion a week ago, won their last game in Nuremberg 2-1, Rodrigo Zalazar’s goal from his own half, the 30th goal of the top scorer in the second division, Simon Terodde.
Schalke and Bremen achieved a direct return to the Bundesliga after relegation 12 months ago, while Hamburg ended its fourth season in the second tier on Sunday after a first relegation in 2018 followed by three fourth-place finishes.
A few weeks ago they looked dejected, but five wins in a row saw them move into third place on goal difference ahead of Darmstadt, the latest being a nervous 3-2 comeback at Hansa Rostock with second-half goals from Robert Glatzel, Captain Sebastian Schonlau and Mikkel Kaufmann.
The promotion play-off against the Berliners begins on Thursday in the German capital and the second leg will be played in Hamburg four days later against Hertha, who finished third from bottom in the Bundesliga first division.
Hertha manager Felix Magath played for Hamburg for 10 years and won several titles with him, including the 1983 European Cup, scoring 1-0 in the final against Juventus Turin. Today, Magath opted to watch the Darmstadt match, while his assistant, Mark Fotheringham, was in Rostock to watch Hamburg.