Leipzig survived a late scare to secure a Champions League return for next season and a 2-1 win over St. Pauli secured third place in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Leipzig led 2-0 with both goals from corners, after Xaver Schlager bundled in a loose ball just before half-time and Willi Orban headed in shortly after half-time.
Relegation-threatened St. Pauli showed late signs of life with Abdoulie Ceesay’s goal in the 86th minute after an unusual long-range header from Jackson Irvine.
It is a much better season for Leipzig after seventh place last year, worst top ranking and losing seven of eight Champions League games.
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St. Pauli finished 17th in the 18-team league after its ninth winless game in a row. If 16th-place Wolfsburg can upset Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich or draw later on Saturday, St. Pauli would need a big win on the final day to have any hope of survival.
Deniz Undav’s 19th league goal of the season capped a 3-1 comeback win for Stuttgart over Bayer Leverkusen to leave Stuttgart fourth in the Champions League.
Leverkusen stunned with Aleix Garcia’s goal on the counter 34 seconds into the match, but Ermedin Demirovic equalized for Stuttgart in the fifth minute, winning a penalty that Maximilian Mittelstädt converted to take the lead just before half-time.
Undav, the second highest scorer in the competition after Bayern’s Harry Kane, added a third from Jamie Leweling’s cross.
Leverkusen finished sixth with only a slim chance of a Champions League spot.
Hoffenheim were level on points with Stuttgart in fifth place after their 1-0 win over Werder Bremen was made easier by a fifth-minute red card for Bremen’s Yukinari Sugawara for a reckless studs-up challenge. Bazoumana Toure scored the only goal from a quickly taken corner kick.
Augsburg finished ninth after a 3-1 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach boosted their hopes of reaching next season’s Conference League.
Published on May 9, 2026
