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Darmstadt secures return to Bundesliga after six years

May 19, 2023

Second division leaders Darmstadt 98 secured their promotion back to Germany's top division, the Bundesliga, after a six-year absence. A 1-0 win over Magdeburg guarantees them either first or second in the 2. Bundesliga.

https://p.dw.com/p/4Rb5Y
Players pour beer on the head of Darmstadt coach Torsten Lieberknecht as they celebrate promotion on the pitch with fans after a 1-0 win against FC Magdeburg. May 19, 2023.
Coach Torsten Lieberknecht has a strong prior CV when it comes to winning promotion for his teamsImage: Uwe Anspach/dpa/picture alliance

Second division leaders Darmstadt 98 defeated Magdeburg 1-0 on Friday and thereby secured their return to the Bundesliga after six years, with one game left to play.

Darmstadt's top scorer Phillip Tietz scored the winning goal in the 36th minute after a VAR check and brought his team to 67 points, crucially seven points clear of Hamburg in third.

Phillip Tietz, Darmstadt 98
Phillip Tietz scored the only goal of the night at home against Magdeburg, propelling his team to the BundesligaImage: JoaquimFerreira/HMB-Media/imago images

"We deserved it so much," said Tobias Kempe, a veteran who already played with Darmstadt in the Bundesliga in the 2015/16 season.

"I'm empty, completely empty," said coach Torsten Lieberknecht. "I never thought that I would find something like this again after Braunschweig. I'm incredibly proud," he said.

Lieberknecht had led Eintracht Braunschweig from the 3. Bundesliga all the way up to the top flight in the space of just three seasons between 2010 and 2013, although the small club could only last a year in the Bundesliga on a modest budget.

Race for Bundesliga

The top two teams from 2nd Bundesliga win automatic promotion while the third team goes into a playoff with the 16th-placed, third-from-bottom, Bundesliga team.

Heidenheim, in second place on 61 points, face Sandhausen on Saturday, while third-placed Hamburg are on 60. Both those teams have two games left to play, but it is now mathematically impossible for Hamburg to catch Darmstadt, meaning Lieberknecht's side are guaranteed automatic promotion no matter what. 

dh/msh (Reuters, SID)