Wolfsburg survive relegation playoff to stay in Bundesliga

Kiel, May 22: Wolfsburg are assured of another season in German top-flight football after defeating Holstein Kiel 1-0 here in the second leg of the relegation playoff to prevail 4-1 on aggregate. While dominating possession, the hosts failed to seriously threaten the Wolfsburg goal.

On Monday, Robin Knoche scored for the visitors in the 75th minute and Kiel’s Rafael Czichos had a goal disallowed with five minutes left in regulation after the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) showed that he used his arm to advance the ball. For Wolfsburg, a second straight season of having to win a playoff to remain in the Bundesliga is a measure of how far they have fallen from the level of the side that gave Real Madrid a battle in the Champions League quarter-finals in 2016. IANS