Latest news with #LeoScienza
New Straits Times
7 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Last-gasp Scienza strike keeps Heidenheim in Bundesliga
BERLIN: Heidenheim's Leo Scienza scored a last-gasp winner in a 2-1 second leg play-off victory at Elversberg yesterday, securing his side's top-flight status next season. A 2-2 draw in Thursday's first leg at Heidenheim meant the winner in Elversberg yesterday would play in the Bundesliga next season. Heidenheim, who were third from bottom in the top division, took the lead through Mathias Honsak after nine minutes in front of a sold-out crowd of 9,200 at the Kaiserlinde Stadium. Elversberg, who finished the season third in the second division, helped their bid to become the smallest Bundesliga side in history when Robin Fellhauer equalised just after the half-hour mark. They looked to have taken the lead just two minutes after half-time when Tom Zimmerschied tapped in from close range, but the goal was overturned for offside after a lengthy VAR review. With the match heading for extra-time, Paul Wanner played Scienza into space and the Brazilian blasted a shot past the goalkeeper, sending the visiting side into raptures. The 4-3 aggregate triumph means Heidenheim, who this season played in the Conference League, in the top-flight for a third straight campaign. Visiting coach Frank Schmidt played for the club and took over as coach when Heidenheim were in the fifth division, before piloting them to the top flight. Schmidt said he was "mega happy, mega proud of the team and the club," but said he was too spent to celebrate. "I put everything into this. I'm empty, I've got nothing left, no energy. Tomorrow no matter who tries to call me, I won't be answering." Elversberg tested their top-flight opponents throughout, finishing with 65 percent possession. Coach Horst Steffen told Sky Germany: "To have such a performance and still lose, that hurts. The boys deserved better for what they showed today." Elversberg's defeat means Hamburg and Cologne are the only two teams promoted to the top flight, while Holstein Kiel and Bochum will play second division football next season. Elversberg, from a town of just 13,000, were promoted to the second division for the first time in 2023. Since the play-off was reintroduced at the end of the 2008-09 campaign, the top-flight team has now won over two legs in 14 of 17 seasons. The most recent second-division side to win promotion via the play-off was Union Berlin, who came through on away goals against Stuttgart in 2019.
Washington Post
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Dramatic late goal saves Heidenheim's Bundesliga status
SPIESEN-ELVERSBERG, Germany — Heidenheim will play in the Bundesliga again next year after overcoming Elversberg 2-1 with a dramatic stoppage time goal in the German league's most lucrative playoff on Monday. The teams drew 2-2 in Heidenheim last Thursday and Heidenheim secured its place in the top tier with a 4-3 aggregate triumph after Leo Scienza completed a superbly worked goal in the fifth minute of injury time.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
🔥 Brazilian seals it, Heidenheim win and book Bundesliga 25/26 spot
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here. Heidenheim remains in the Bundesliga elite for 2025/2026. Playing away, they defeated Elversberg 2-1 this Monday (26), in the second leg of the playoff - after a 2-2 draw in the first leg. This achievement came with the decisive contribution of Brazilian Leo Scienza, who scored the winning goal at 95'. He finished the playoff with THREE assists and one goal, participating in ALL four of Heidenheim's goals. The match was necessary because, according to the championship regulations, the 16th place team in the Bundesliga (Heidenheim) plays against the 3rd place team in the (Elversberg) to determine who stays in the elite of German football and who plays in the second division. Honsak took advantage of Scienza's assist and opened the scoring for Heidenheim, nine minutes into the game. However, still in the first half, Fellhauer (31') equalized, after an assist from Zimmerschield. Tension was high in the final minutes. And extra time was looming. Then talent decided. Paul Wanner - who is expected to return to Bayern - set up Scienza. He got past Le Joncour and shot with no chance for Kristof. Reinforcing his decisive power in the playoff. Recent History 2023/2024 Bochum saved themselves from relegation by overcoming Fortuna Düsseldorf. They lost 3-0 at home in the first leg but matched the score away and won on penalties. They would be relegated this season. 2022/2023 Stuttgart ended Hamburg's dream without much trouble. They won 3-0 at home and then 3-1 at the Dinosaur's home. They stayed in the elite and reached the German vice-championship the following season - the one won by Leverkusen. 2021/2022 Hertha frustrated Hamburg, who won 1-0 in Berlin but fell in front of their fans by losing 2-0 in the return leg. Hertha would be directly relegated the following season - and in last place. 2020/2021 Playing at home in the first leg, Cologne saw Holstein Kiel surprise them with a 1-0 win. But they ignored the second division team in the return leg, winning 5-1. Cologne was relegated in 2023/2024 and is back in the elite for 25/26. Kiel was in the elite but was relegated in the recently concluded season. Augsburg Bayer Leverkusen Bayern Munich Borussia Dortmund Borussia Mönchengladbach Cologne Eintracht Frankfurt Freiburg Hamburg Heidenheim Hoffenheim Mainz RB Leipzig St. Pauli Stuttgart Union Berlin Werder Bremen Wolfsburg 📸 Alex Grimm - 2025 Getty Images
Forbes
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Pragmatic Heidenheim Secure Bundesliga Spot With Win Over Elversberg
Leo Scienza of Heidenheim 1846 celebrates with the fans following the team's victory in the ... More Bundesliga playoffs second leg match between SV Elversberg and 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 (Photo by) Elversberg's run from the fourth division to the Bundesliga has been stopped. In front of 9,970 fans at the Waldstadion an der Kaiserlinde, Bundesliga side Heidenheim beat 2. Bundesliga Elversberg 2-1 (4-3 on aggregate) to win the Relegation Playoffs. Heidenheim secured its spot in the Bundesliga most dramatically. Dominated on the pitch by the lower division team, Heidenheim forward Leonardo Scienza scored with just seconds remaining. It was Heidenheim's only opportunity in the second half. The Bundesliga team had taken the lead thanks to a goal by Mathias Honsak (9'). But from then on, it was all Elversberg, and in the 31st minute, Robin Fellhauer finally scored the equalizer. Then, within seconds of the second-half kickoff, Elversberg thought they had the lead. Fisnik Asllani thought he had given the Saarländer the lead, but VAR intervened correctly—Lukas Petkov was offside in the buildup. 'I was praying that it would be a goal,' Asllani said in the mixed zone after the game. 'But I think it is the correct decision. After all, that's what VAR is for: to make correct decisions. Otherwise, it would be pointless.' It felt like the decisive moment of the game because even though Elversberg dominated, the club coached by Horst Steffen didn't generate enough dangerous situations. Although they dominated possession and encircled Heidenheim in their own end, opportunities to score goals were lacking. 'Fortune wasn't on our side,' Steffen said. 'A few centimetres decide whether you win or lose the game. It is really sad. It is a sad moment. We thought we had a big opportunity and fulfilled our dream of reaching the Bundesliga.' The xG underlines this observation. While Heidenheim had an xG of 1.55, Elversberg's xG was just 1.55. Heidenheim also produced more shots on goal (11 to 8). 'We just weren't clinical enough,' Steffen said when asked about the difference between his side and Heidenheim. 'Perhaps we just lacked the experience to get the job done.' On balance, Heidenheim's performance over the full 180 minutes wasn't pretty. Although Heidenheim boss Frank Schmidt has evolved his game over the last few years, his sense of pragmatism has always been the foundation of the Swabian-based club. Heidenheim head coach Frank Schmidt got the job done. (Photo by) Sitting deep and absorbing the pressure, Heidenheim, in fact, never really looked in danger of conceding a second goal. And while the almost 10,000 fans in the Waldstadion were getting ready for 30 minutes of extra time, Scienza broke through the box and ended the match with seconds to go. 'It is difficult to put it all in words,' Schmidt said after the game. 'I knew that it would be a difficult task as Elversberg under Steffen plays good football. Even though you know how they play, they are hard to defend.' Then Schmidt admitted what everyone saw with their own eyes. 'To be honest, we didn't do much in the attack,' Schmidt said. 'Until Scienza and Paul Wanner, who came on fresh, combined to get the job done.' Moments of ecstasy for the winner and agony for the loser followed. 'It is brutal,' Schmidt said. 'We have experienced it ourselves. It is cruel that a team that finished third in the 2. Bundesliga has to play in the relegation playoffs. You play a great season, and your dream is being shattered.' Failure in the 2020 relegation playoffs for Heidenheim wasn't the end of the story. The club would win the 2. Bundesliga in 2023. Perhaps in a few years, Elversberg might be there as well. Indeed, an argument could be made that the Saarländer weren't quite ready for promotion yet. Promoted twice in the last three seasons, Elversberg's infrastructure hasn't quite kept pace with the club's growth. One example is the stadium, which is currently being expanded to 15,000 seats and, as a result, is open on one end. Still, the club is doing a fantastic job, and there is a sense of when and not if Elversberg will eventually represent the Saarland in the Bundesliga.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dramatic late goal saves Heidenheim's Bundesliga status
Heidenheim will play in the Bundesliga again next year after overcoming Elversberg 2-1 with a dramatic stoppage time goal in the German league's most lucrative playoff on Monday. The teams drew 2-2 in Heidenheim last Thursday and Heidenheim secured its place in the top tier with a 4-3 aggregate triumph after Leo Scienza completed a superbly worked goal in the fifth minute of injury time. The playoff, known in Germany as the 'Relegation,' is between the teams that finish third-to-last in the Bundesliga and second in Bundesliga 2. Heidenheim's victory meant the top tier club has won all six playoffs. It ended Elversberg's fairy tale rise for at least one more year and broke the hearts of a capacity crowd at Elversberg's tiny home ground. The club from the Saarland was aiming to become the smallest ever club to play in the Bundesliga based on population size. Elversberg is in Spiesen-Elversberg, a town of around 13,000. It has been in the Bundesliga 2 for only two seasons. ___ AP soccer:
