Paderborn Relegates Wolfsburg to Second Division After 29 Years in Bundesliga

It has been officially confirmed that VfL Wolfsburg has been relegated to the German second division after losing to Paderborn 2-1 after extra time in the second leg of the Bundesliga promotion and relegation playoff.

The defeat ended Wolfsburg's long journey in the top league, which lasted 29 consecutive years since their promotion in 1997.

The match started perfectly for Wolfsburg when Dzanan Pejcinovic scored an early goal in the third minute, giving his team an important advantage. However, things quickly turned around after Joachim Maehle was sent off with a second yellow card in the 14th minute, leaving Wolfsburg to play more than 100 minutes with ten players, which gave Paderborn full control of the game.

Before the end of the first half, Philipp Bilbija succeeded in scoring the equalizing goal for the home team amidst a frenzied atmosphere in the stands. In the second half, Paderborn continued their intense pressure, while Wolfsburg held on with difficulty, leading to the original time ending in a draw and requiring extra time after several dangerous chances were missed by both sides.

In the 100th minute, Laurin Korda secured the decisive goal for Paderborn, having been left alone at the far post to score the historic promotion goal, while Wolfsburg experienced a disastrous night that ended with their relegation to the second division. This marked another blow for coach Dieter Hecking, who failed for the second consecutive season to save his team from relegation.