Wolfsburg sent crashing out of Bundesliga as Paderborn seal promotion with play-off victory

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/wolfsburg/nwkTahLL/"]Wolfsburg[/a] had tried everything to breach their opponents in the goalless first leg, and that stroke of luck they had been waiting for arrived less than three minutes from kick-off.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/maehle-joakim/QscOyy8Q/"]Joakim Maehle[/a]’s long ball down the left side released [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/daghim-adam/MqjL5g4o/"]Adam Daghim[/a], who pulled it back to the edge of the area for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/pejcinovic-dzenan/MDy44NH5/"]Dzenan Pejcinovic[/a] to arrive and side-foot coolly into the bottom corner.[/b][/p][p]But the joy of that perfect start quickly disappeared when Maehle was shown two yellow cards in quick succession, first for a scuffle with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bilbija-filip/QokFiTR8/"]Filip Bilbija[/a] and then a high challenge on [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hansen-mattes/Gr1R3Up8/"]Mattes Hansen[/a], reducing his side to 10 men earlier in the game than a Bundesliga relegation play-off had ever seen before.[/p][image alt="Wolfsburg went down to 10 men" id="0eabf0c4-79c9-435e-9ebc-1adad01b4f41" credit-line="REUTERS / Thilo Schmuelgen" guid="c519fee5-3ce1-4153-b893-76b69000d990" original-width="4278" original-height="2945" /][p]The hosts predictably went straight on the offensive after that, and were totally dominant leading up to a vital equaliser.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/baur-mika/Wdl4GSQq/"]Mika Baur[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/castaneda-santiago/UifTyptK/"]Santiago Castaneda[/a] went close, with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/grabara-kamil/0MhuM4YL/"]Kamil Grabara[/a] having to make a fine save from the latter, but things were levelled up when [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/brackelmann-calvin/2Bd47f5L/"]Calvin Brackelmann[/a] flicked [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/curda-laurin/IeGgs0lI/"]Laurin Curda[/a]’s long throw perfectly into the path of Bilbija, who buried a diving header from close range.[/b][/p][p]And there was no change to the momentum of play when it got back underway after half time, as Wolfsburg desperately clung on to their top-flight status.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/marino-stefano/rRI56vMt/"]Stefano Marino[/a] took to the air twice but couldn’t find the mark, with his first a front-post looping header cleared off the line by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/belocian-jeanuel/zog0NOeM/"]Jeanuel Belocian[/a].[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/klaas-sebastian/vi6EGzsg/"]Sebastian Klaas[/a] then poked against the base of the post from the edge of the box, before club legend [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/michel-sven/8IGkfX37/"]Sven Michel[/a] did the same with his header at the end of the regulation 90 minutes.[/p][image alt="Match stats" id="122d04cd-99b5-44f2-843c-7ad5384d4d7b" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="9cb02b44-ea6e-4d4b-b8cb-f672c17365f6" original-width="1200" original-height="1200" /][p]Registering an incredible 31 shots to their opponents’ two in normal time, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/paderborn/G2Op923t/"]Paderborn[/a] were nevertheless unable to prevent extra time, where [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gotze-felix/dzo2WHvU/"]Felix Gotze[/a] continued the onslaught, though Grabara was equal to his deflected effort.[/p][p][b]But the clincher they had been waiting for finally came just before the 100-minute mark, with Michel’s cross to the far post finding a totally unmarked Curda, who kept his focus to volley it past Grabara. [/b][/p][p]The initial explosion of joy soon turned to nerves around the Home Deluxe Arena, but the home side held on to record a famous victory.[/p][embed guid="82207f03-4704-49a9-9cb1-9651dd2f64c3" url="https://x.com/VfLWolfsburg_EN/status/2059019699799662855" social-type="twitter" /][p]Ralf Kettemann therefore successfully guided his side to the promised land in his first season in charge, with Paderborn becoming just the second 2. Bundesliga team to win this play-off in the last 15 years.[/p][p]The early dismissal made things very difficult for Wolfsburg, and their almost three-decade-long Bundesliga stay comes to an end despite Dieter Hecking’s best efforts since his appointment in March.[/p][p][b]Flashscore Man of the Match: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/curda-laurin/IeGgs0lI/"]Laurin Curda[/a] ([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/paderborn/G2Op923t/"]SC Paderborn[/a])[/b][/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/paderborn-G2Op923t/wolfsburg-nwkTahLL/?mid=nFjvRRsQ"]See all the stats from the match here[/a][/b][/p]