RB Leipzig sealed their place in next season’s UEFA Champions League by defeating St. Pauli 2-1 at home on Saturday, cementing third place in the Bundesliga with one match to spare. Goals from midfielder Xaver Schlager and defender Willi Orban gave Leipzig a commanding lead, though St. Pauli pulled one back through Marcel Sese deep into stoppage time. The result not only ends Leipzig’s season objective but also plunges St. Pauli deeper into relegation trouble, leaving them second from bottom with a must-win final match against Wolfsburg.
Leipzig captain David Raum celebrated with fans after the final whistle, saying, “We faced immense pressure this season, but we stuck together as a team and got through it. Now we’ve achieved our goal—time for a drink and a night of celebration.” St. Pauli, who had scored only four goals in their previous eight games, missed several counter-attacking chances and now face a decisive survival showdown against Wolfsburg on the final day. “We’ll fight like warriors in that last game,” vowed St. Pauli’s Alexander Opiel.
Elsewhere, VfB Stuttgart came from behind to beat Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 at home, moving into fourth place in the Bundesliga standings. Leverkusen took the lead just 34 seconds in after a defensive error from Stuttgart defender Andreas Hendricks allowed Dani García to score. However, Ermedin Demirović equalized five minutes later, then won a penalty just before halftime, which Enzo Millot converted with a cheeky Panenka. In the second half, Deniz Undav sealed the win, although Demirović had another goal ruled out for offside. Stuttgart now sit in the final Champions League qualification spot, while Leverkusen drop to sixth, three points behind.
In other matches, Hoffenheim beat ten-man Werder Bremen 1-0 to draw level on points with Stuttgart. Bremen’s Yukinari Sugawara was shown a red card for a dangerous tackle early on, and Ihlas Bebou scored the winner just after the half-hour mark. Meanwhile, Augsburg secured a 3-1 victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach, with Michael Gregoritsch scoring twice and Arne Maier adding a rare goal, keeping their European hopes alive. Gladbach grabbed a consolation through Rocco Reitz late on.
