BERLIN — Bochum defeated SV Sandhausen 3-1 on Sunday to earn Bundesliga promotion as second division champion with runner-up Greuther Fürth also clinching promotion on the final day.
Fürth came from behind despite playing the second half with 10 men to beat Fortuna Düsseldorf 3-2 and take advantage of Holstein Kiel’s 3-2 loss at home to Darmstadt.
The top two are automatically promoted to Germany’s top division, with Kiel – the third-place finisher – now facing a two-leg playoff against Cologne, which finished third from bottom in the Bundesliga, to see which plays where next season.
Bochum won the division with 67 points from 34 games, three more than Fürth, with Kiel – which had been second – dropping two points further back.
Kiel was winning 1-0 and on course for promotion, but appeared uncertain after Janni Serra’s early goal and went on to concede three goals to Darmstadt, a team that only had pride at stake.
It was Kiel’s second missed chance at promotion after losing 3-2 at Karlsruher SC last weekend. Kiel held the lead in that game, too.
American midfielder Julian Green equalized for Fürth to make it 2-2 against Düsseldorf before the 22-year-old Dickson Abiama fired the winner to secure Fürth’s return to the top division.
Fürth was previously promoted in 2012. Bochum is back in the Bundesliga after an 11-year absence.
Former Bundesliga heavyweight Hamburger SV’s hopes of a return were foiled in a 3-2 loss at Osnabrück last weekend, ensuring it could no longer finish among the top three.
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