Bundesliga weekend: Three major talking points
From VfL Bochum's return to top-flight football to Cologne's relegation playoff tie, here are the three major talking points from the Bundesliga weekend.
Published : May 24, 2021 14:11 IST
BOCHUM RETURNS
The Bundesliga may have lost two traditional top division club with the relegation of former champions Werder Bremen and Schalke 04. But fans are already looking forward to another history-rich club returning to the top flight with VfL Bochum.
The Ruhr Valley club returns to the Bundesliga after 11 years for its 35th season in the top division with an exciting blend of attacking football that had Bochum fans on the streets on Sunday after securing the second division title with a 3-1 win over Sandhausen.
UNION SUCCESS
Some 2,000 Union Berlin fans in their Alte Foersterei stadium were equally ecstatic after their team made sure of European football next season for the first time in 20 years while also outclassing city rival Hertha Berlin.
Max Kruse's stoppage-time winner over RB Leipzig had earned his side a Europa Conference League spot with a seventh-place finish while Hertha narrowly avoided relegation to finish 14th.
COLOGNE HOPES
Three-time German champion Cologne is preparing for its relegation playoff tie in the coming days against Holstein Kiel, third in the second division, after grabbing a lifeline on the last matchday.
An 86th-minute goal by Belgian Sebastiaan Bornauw gave it a 1-0 win over Schalke, moving it onto the relegation playoff spot and sending Werder down.