BERLIN (AP) — Bochum and Holstein Kiel were relegated from the Bundesliga on Saturday while Leipzig’s hopes of Champions League qualification were over after drawing at Werder Bremen 0-0.
Heidenheim made sure of at least a playoff place with one round remaining.
Last-placed Bochum lost at home to Mainz 4-1, and Kiel lost at home 2-1 to Freiburg, which consolidated fourth place and was well-placed for Champions League qualification.
Leipzig’s scoreless draw in Bremen left it four points behind Freiburg with one game remaining, meaning it can no longer qualify for Europe’s lucrative premier competition.
Neither Bochum nor Kiel have any possibility of catching third-from-bottom Heidenheim following the latter’s 3-0 win at Union Berlin.
With one game remaining, Bochum had 22 points, Kiel 25, and Heidenheim 29 – just two behind St. Pauli, which has two matches remaining. St. Pauli plays its penultimate match at third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday.
Bochum needed to avoid defeat and hope for a favor from Union against Heidenheim at the same time. But Nadiem Amiri and Phillipp Mwene scored either side of the break for Mainz, before Jonathan Burkardt made it 3-0.
Gerrit Holtmann scored Bochum’s late consolation before Paul Nebel completed the scoring in stoppage time, confirming demotion for Dieter Hecking’s team.
Bochum was promoted to the Bundesliga as the second division champion in 2021, ending an 11-year absence from the top division.
Kiel was promoted for the first time only last season and it’s a quick return to the second division for coach Marcel Rapp’s team.
It started well against Freiburg with Lasse Rosenboom firing Kiel ahead in the 24th minute, but Johan Manzambi equalized before the break, then Lucas Höler headed Freiburg toward the Champions League.
Freiburg moved four points clear of Borussia Dortmund, which visits Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday for Xabi Alonso’s last home game as Leverkusen coach.
Bayern Munich, which clinched the title with two rounds to spare last weekend, was to be presented with the trophy after hosting Borussia Mönchengladbach later.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Ciarán Fahey, The Associated Press
