Hamburg fans invade pitch before late twist denies them automatic promotion to Bundesliga
Ecstatic Hamburg fans are left red-faced after invading the pitch to celebrate promotion to the Bundesliga… before rivals Heidenheim score TWICE in extra time to win the league and take them to the play-offs bump!
- Hamburg thought their 1–0 win away at Sandhausen had earned them promotion
- But their fans were heartbroken when Heidenheim scored two late goals
- It means that Hamburg now has to play this season’s play-off against Stuttgart
When the final whistle blew to confirm their 1-0 win at Sandhausen, Hamburg thought they had just sealed a return to the Bundesliga after five long years in Germany’s second tier.
Their ecstatic supporters, dreaming of life in the next season, stormed onto the pitch in jubilation after securing what they claimed was a second-place finish in the 2. Bundesliga and automatic promotion to the top flight.
Rivals Heidenheim, leading by one point heading into Sunday’s final, were 2-1 down to Jahn Regensburg deep into stoppage time, meaning even a late equalizer would not have been enough to hold on to their automatic spot.
But as they fired flares and hugged each other on the pitch with apparent promotion in their pocket, disaster struck for Hamburg fans. Heidenheim produced a sensational comeback in the last gasp, scoring twice in the final six minutes of stoppage time to break Die Rothosen’s hearts.
A pitch invasion occurs after Hamburg fans believed they had automatically won promotion to the Bundesliga
But in the other game, Heidenheim scored 2 goals in stoppage time to win and push the league #hsv in a Bundesliga playoff slotpic.twitter.com/nTQ6cr9Pe4
— World Soccer Talk (@worldsoccertalk) May 28, 2023
Hamburg fans thought their 1-0 win over Sandhausen had earned them promotion to the Bundesliga
But rivals Heidenheim scored two goals in stoppage time to get them into the play-offs
Their heartbroken supporters were devastated after hearing the news in Sandhausen
Jan-Niklas Beste’s penalty put Heidenheim level for the first time in the 93rd minute, before Tim Kleindienst turned up at the back post in the 99th minute of the game to snatch promotion back from Hamburg at the dead.
What’s more, Darmstadt’s 4-0 defeat at Furth meant that Heidenheim even leapfrogged into first place to move into the top flight as Second Division champions.
It was an astonishing end to the 2. Bundesliga title race, leaving the Hamburg supporters devastated on the pitch in Sandhausen.
Kleindienst’s late goal means they now have to contest this season’s promotion playoff, which sees them face 16th Bundesliga side Stuttgart.
The first leg will take place at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Stuttgart on Thursday, June 1, before the decider takes place at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg on Monday, June 5.
Hamburg boss Tim Walter said after their heartbreaking defeat in the race for automatic promotion: ‘We did our job today, but so did Heidenheim.
‘We therefore congratulate you on your promotion. Of course we are disappointed, but we are well prepared for the [play-off].
“We will put a strong team on the field and want to have the upper hand this year.”
Despite their 1-0 win, Hamburg must contest the play-offs against Stuttgart this season