Union Berlin avoid relegation with last-minute win, Koln go down
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Union Berlin scored in stoppage time against Freiburg to win 2-1 and beat the drop on Saturday, leapfrogging Bochum, who will play a two-legged relegation playoff against second-division Fortuna Dusseldorf after losing 4-1 at Werder Bremen.
Leverkusen's rivals Cologne were also relegated after a 4-1 loss at Heidenheim.
Union - who were playing Champions League against the likes of Real Madrid as recently as December - were locked 1-1 at home to Freiburg in stoppage time and headed for a relegation playoff clash with Dusseldorf.
Union had been reduced to 10 men when Michael Gspurning was red carded with four minutes remaining but won a penalty just into stoppage time.
Kevin Volland missed the spotkick but Janik Haberer was there to turn in the rebound and save Berlin.
Bochum, who looked to have secured top-division football with a 4-3 win at Union Berlin two weeks ago, will now need to beat Dusseldorf in a home-and-away playoff.
The loser of that playoff will play second-division football with Cologne and Darmstadt, who were relegated earlier in the season.
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