Berlin, Germany (SportsNetwork.com) - Freiburg and Paderborn were relegated from the Bundesliga as the race for survival came to a dramatic conclusion on the final day of the season on Saturday.
Six teams entered Saturday hoping to avoid the drop, but it was Paderborn and Freiburg that came out on the losing end, ensuring they will spend next season in the Bundesliga 2.
Paderborn came into the day on the bottom of the league and needed a home win against fellow relegation battlers Stuttgart. Things started well for the hosts as Marc Vucinovic scored inside of four minutes, but Stuttgart rallied behind goals from Daniel Didavi and Daniel Ginczek to claim a 2-1 win that keeps the team up next season.
Freiburg started the weekend above the bottom three, but after losing 2-1 at Hannover, the club slipped to 17th thanks to other results, including Stuttgart's victory.
Hamburg managed to give itself a chance to stay up as the team's 2-0 win over Schalke puts them in the relegation playoff for the second straight season.
After entering the contest in 17th place, Hamburg moved up a spot to avoid automatic relegation with second-half goals from Ivica Olic and Slobodan Rajkovic.
Hertha Berlin was also in danger of falling into the bottom three, and although the team lost 2-1 at Hoffenheim to an 80th-minute winner from Roberto Firmino, Hertha managed to stay up on goal difference.
Champions Bayern Munich capped their campaign with a 2-0 victory at home against Mainz thanks to goals from Robert Lewandowski and Bastian Schweinsteiger, while Wolfsburg ends the season in second place after a 2-2 draw at Cologne.
Borussia Dortmund managed to secure a Europa League place with a 3-2 victory over Werder Bremen as the club scored all three of its goals in the first half, Augsburg scored three times in the final 18 minutes of a 3-1 win at third-place Monchengladbach, and Eintracht downed Bayer Leverkusen, 2-1.
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