Wolfsburg Extend 29-Year Bundesliga Stay with Nerve-Racking Win

Wolfsburg secure play-off spot as late goals send St Pauli down

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St Pauli’s two-year Bundesliga stay ended after a controversial own goal and missed penalty swung the match in Wolfsburg’s favor.

Dieter Hecking’s side will face Elversberg, Hannover or Paderborn in the play-off after finishing 16th...

It was a day of mixed emotions at Millerntor-Stadion. Wolfsburg secured a spot in the promotion/relegation play-off and sent St Pauli down automatically with a tense 3-1 victory. The win means Die Wolfe are now two games away from extending their 29-year run in the Bundesliga.

St Pauli, Heidenheim and Wolfsburg all went into the final matchday level on points. That is the first time it has happened in the Bundesliga’s 63-season history.

All three clubs were fighting for the play-off spot that Wolfsburg held going into the final day.

Both teams started cautiously, but the game came alive midway through the first half. Joel Fujita struck the underside of the crossbar, and Adam Daghim then broke clear to force Nikola Vasilj into a sharp save.

Daghim was denied again moments later, with Vasilj and the crossbar combining to keep out his effort from the resulting set piece.

Vasilj stayed busy as the half wore on, pushing Daghim’s near-post shot behind for a corner. He couldn’t recover in time from that corner, though, and Konstantinos Koulierakis glanced the ball home to score in his second away game in a row and give Wolfsburg a narrow lead at the break.

Needing a response, Alexander Blessin brought on Abdoulie Ceesay at half-time. The forward needed less than 15 minutes to make an impact, scoring for the third game running with a powerful header from an inswinging corner that beat Kamil Grabara.

Just as St Pauli looked to be taking control, Vasilj accidentally turned the ball into his own net while trying to punch clear from a corner.

JAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!! Sieg auf St. Pauli! Wir haben den wichtigen Zwischenschritt gemacht.#FCSPWOB #VfLWolfsburg pic.twitter.com/9gQ2bJwY2E

— VfL Wolfsburg (@VfL_Wolfsburg) May 16, 2026

The home side protested for a foul, but after a quick check at the monitor the referee confirmed it as the game’s third goal from a set piece.

Daniel Siebert went to the pitchside screen again moments later and gave a penalty for handball against Tomoya Ando. Christian Eriksen stepped up but struck the woodwork.

Eriksen’s miss was quickly overshadowed when Dzenan Pejcinovic reacted fastest to a rebound and scored Wolfsburg’s third, sealing the win and confirming relegation for St Pauli and Heidenheim.

St Pauli exit the Bundesliga after two seasons. Dieter Hecking’s Wolfsburg will now face either Elversberg, Hannover or Paderborn in the play-off.