PADERBORN, Germany — Christian Eriksen and VfL Wolfsburg faced relegation from the Bundesliga on Monday, following a 2-1 defeat to SC Paderborn in the second leg of their relegation playoff.
Laurin Curda netted the decisive goal for Paderborn in the 10th minute of extra time, marking a challenging match for Wolfsburg, which was reduced to 10 players for most of the game after an early dismissal.
This result gave Paderborn, who finished third in the second division, a 2-1 aggregate victory after the first leg ended in a 0-0 draw in Wolfsburg on Thursday. The home crowd erupted in celebration, rushing onto the pitch following the final whistle.
This marks Wolfsburg’s first relegation since the club, backed by Volkswagen, entered the Bundesliga in 1997. Although they won the championship in 2009, the team has struggled in recent years, narrowly escaping relegation in 2017 against Eintracht Braunschweig and in the following year against Holstein Kiel, only to find themselves in another relegation playoff this season after finishing third from the bottom.
For Eriksen, the season concluded in disappointment. The Danish international, who signed a two-year contract with Wolfsburg in September and served as captain in Paderborn, will be keen to turn things around moving forward.
This report uses information from The Associated Press.