
Bochum, Kiel relegated, Heidenheim get lifeline with win at Union
BERLIN : VfL Bochum and Holstein Kiel were relegated from the Bundesliga on Saturday after defeats by Mainz 05 and Freiburg respectively on the penultimate matchday of the season.
Bochum, who had been promoted back in 2021, suffered a 4-1 home loss to European hopefuls Mainz and are bottom on 22 points, three behind Holstein Kiel in 17th, with one match left.
The hosts went into the game needing a win to have any chances of staying up but Mainz went in front in first-half stoppage time thanks to Nadiem Amiri's superb free kick.
Phillipp Mwene struck eight minutes after the restart and Jonathan Burkardt made it 3-0 to seal Bochum's fate and lift Mainz into sixth place that leads to the Conference League competition. Bochum cut the deficit through Gerrit Holtmann's low drive before Pual Nebel scored for Mainz in stoppage time.
Kiel, who won promotion last season, took a 24th-minute lead through Lasse Rosenboom but Freiburg, battling for a top-four finish and Champions League football next season, levelled in stoppage time through Johan Manzambi before Lukas Hoeler headed in at the far post to make it 2-1.
Freiburg are fourth on 55 points, with Borussia Dortmund, in fifth on 51, taking on Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday.
Heidenheim, winners 3-0 at Union Berlin, are in the relegation playoff spot in 16th, two points behind St Pauli who travel to Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CNA
31 minutes ago
- CNA
Gareca steps down as Chile coach after failure to qualify for World Cup
SANTIAGO, Jun 10 :Ricardo Gareca confirmed he has stepped down as Chile head coach after their hopes of reaching the 2026 World Cup ended with a 2-0 away loss to Bolivia on Tuesday. "We made a decision, with the coaching staff (...) with the entire delegation. We told them that we want to ease the situation," said Gareca during a brief press conference after the match in El Alto, where he did not take questions. "The results never went with us, at any time. We did not produce results, Chile is in a situation that no one would have wished for." The defeat left Chile bottom of the South American table with only 10 points and two games remaining in the qualifying round. "La Roja" will miss out on the World Cup for the third time in a row, after failing to qualify for Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 following a historic era that saw them win the Copa America in 2015 and 2016. Under Argentine manager Gareca, who was appointed in 2024, Chile only managed one win in 13 official games.


CNA
3 hours ago
- CNA
Finland go top of qualifying group with 2-1 win over Poland
FINLAND :Goals from Joel Pohjanpalo and Benjamin Kallman earned Finland a 2-1 home win over Poland in Helsinki on Tuesday to send the hosts top of their World Cup qualifying group. The home side took a 31st-minute lead when Polish keeper Lukasz Skorupski was dispossessed by Finland forward Pohjanpalo. Skorupski then fouled Robin Lod and Pohjanpalo converted the resulting penalty. Finland doubled their advantage in the 64th minute when Oliver Antman's squared ball across the area was fired home by substitute Kallman but Jakub Kiwior bundled the ball into the net five minutes later to pull one back for Poland. A serious medical emergency in the stands led to a long suspension of play in the 80th minute but Poland were unable to find another goal and Finland, looking to qualify for their first World Cup, held on to take all three points. Poland's preparation had been overshadowed by Robert Lewandowski's decision not to play under current coach Michal Probierz after he was stripped of the captaincy, with Piotr Zielinski, currently injured, taking over. Finland are on seven points after four games in Group G, one point ahead of the Netherlands who hammered Malta 8-0, but the Dutch have two games in hand. Poland are third, also on six points with three games played.


CNA
4 hours ago
- CNA
Andreescu and Alexandrova off to winning start as rain stops play in 's-Hertogenbosch
Bianca Andreescu and second seed Ekaterina Alexandrova both kicked off their grasscourt campaigns with solid first-round wins at the Libema Open in Den Bosch, as rain caused significant delays throughout Tuesday's second day of play. Andreescu eased past Taiwan's Joanna Garland 6-1 6-3 as the 24-year-old Canadian put on a strong performance without facing a single break point and secured victory in 74 minutes. The former U.S. Open champion, who missed out on qualifying for Roland Garros, will next face New Zealand's Lulu Sun. Alexandrova advanced to the second round with a composed 6-3 6-4 win over Georgia's Mariam Bolkvadze, despite a lengthy rain delay disrupting the first set. The Russian returned from the interruption unfazed, taking control from the baseline and racing to a 5-2 lead in the second set. After being broken while serving for the match and facing another break point in her next service game, Alexandrova regained her composure to close out the win and set up an all-Russian second-round showdown with Anna Blinkova. The match between defending champion Liudmila Samsonova and Canada's qualifier Carson Branstine was tied at one set apiece before the game was suspended due to darkness. Branstine had stunned top seed Samsonova by taking the first set 6-4 before the Russian levelled the match by winning the second 7-5. Play will resume on Wednesday. In the men's draw, American Reilly Opelka also overcame several rain delays to see off local favourite Jesper de Jong with a hard-fought 6-7(5) 7-6(5) 6-2 victory. Several matches had to be postponed to Wednesday due to rain, including Polish fifth seed Hubert Hurkacz against Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut, Briton Daniel Evans against Australia's Rinky Hijikata, and Greece's Maria Sakkari taking on Dutch wildcard Anouk Koevermans.