Stuttgart secures a spot in the German League for the upcoming 2023-24 season by winning the first leg of the play-off against Hamburg with a score of 3-0.
The German League play-off match is held between the 16th-placed team in the Bundesliga and the 3rd-placed team in the second division to determine the third team competing in the upcoming season.
Stuttgart finished 16th in the Bundesliga, while Hamburg finished 3rd in the second division in a dramatic scenario.
It seems that Hamburg, nicknamed "the Dinosaurs," will continue to stay in the second division after a long and eventful history in the top flight that lasted until the 2017-18 season.
Stuttgart took an early lead in front of their home crowd with a goal after just 45 seconds by Kostas Mavropanos.
Thus, the Greek becomes the second-fastest goal scorer in the history of the German League play-off, following Maxi Beister for Fortuna Dusseldorf against Hertha Berlin after 23 seconds in 2012.
Guinean striker Sory Kaba missed the opportunity to add a second goal by squandering a penalty in the 26th minute.
In the second half, Joshua Vagnoman added the second goal in the 51st minute.
Just five minutes later, Kaba scored the third goal for the Red and Whites.
Finnish player Anssi Suhonen added to Hamburg's woes by receiving a red card in the 70th minute after a violent tackle.
The second leg will take place next Monday at the Volksparkstadion, Hamburg's home stadium, to determine the qualifier for the upcoming German League season.
Schalke and Hertha Berlin have directly been relegated to the German second division.
Meanwhile, both Heidenheim and Darmstadt have qualified for the German League for the first time in their history.
Tags
Bundesliga