05/21/26 03:57:00
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05/21 15:55 CDT Eriksen on verge of relegation with Wolfsburg after 0-0 playoff
draw with second-division Paderborn
Eriksen on verge of relegation with Wolfsburg after 0-0 playoff draw with
second-division Paderborn
WOLFSBURG, Germany (AP) --- Christian Eriksen is one game away from Bundesliga
relegation with Wolfsburg after a scoreless draw with second-division Paderborn
in the first leg of their playoff on Thursday.
Eriksen, who signed a two-year deal when he joined Wolfsburg in September,
likely didn't imagine he'd find himself on the verge of demotion to Germany's
second division at the end of his first season.
But if Paderborn wins the second leg of their promotion/relegation playoff at
home on Monday, Wolfsburg --- the 2009 Bundesliga champion --- would drop a
division for the first time since it was promoted to the top tier in 1997.
Paderborn is bidding to return to the Bundesliga after it was relegated in 2020
after one season in the top flight.
The end-of-season playoff pits the team that finishes third from bottom in the
Bundesliga against the third-place finisher in the second division to determine
which will play in the top division the following season.
Wolfsburg clinched its place in the playoff in the final round of the
Bundesliga with a win over St. Pauli, sending the Hamburg-based side down to
the second division, while Paderborn earned its shot at promotion by beating
Darmstadt and capitalizing on dropped points from Hannover.
Santiago Castaneda had an early chance for Paderborn, but otherwise Wolfsburg
created more in the first half with Paderborn goalkeeper Dennis Seimen denying
Adam Daghim in a one-on-one.
Nerves played a role as the game progressed, however. Paderborn's Filip Bilbija
had an effort cleared off the line late on.
Paderborn defender Jonah Sticker will miss the second leg after being sent off
with two bookings in as many minutes in stoppage time.
Paderborn, a city to the east of Dortmund in the west German state of North
Rhine-Westphalia, is taking part in the playoff for the first time, while
Wolfsburg is navigating the showdown for the third time after wins over
Eintracht Braunschweig in 2017 and Holstein Kiel the following year.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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