Drama in the Waldstadion: Elversberg fights for promotion against Heidenheim!

Drama in the Waldstadion: Elversberg fights for promotion against Heidenheim!

On May 26, 2025, SV Elversberg and 1. FC Heidenheim met in the relegation game for the Bundesliga in the Waldstadion an der Kaiserlinde, Elversberg. Both teams had achieved an exciting 2-2 draw in the first leg and excitement was high ahead of the second leg. The kick-off took place at 8:30 p.m., the game was broadcast on free TV on SAT.1 and on pay TV on Sky, with the preliminary reports starting at 7:50 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. The live stream could be followed via ran.de.

With Horst Steffen as coach of SV Elversberg and Frank Schmidt on the sidelines of 1. FC Heidenheim, the starting position was clear. While Elversberg has celebrated notable successes in recent years, including promotion to the third Bundesliga (2021/22) and the second Bundesliga (2022/23), Heidenheim has enjoyed somewhat more stable development. The club has been playing in the second Bundesliga since the 2014/2015 season and achieved promotion to the first Bundesliga in the 2022/2023 season. Heidenheim also qualified for the UEFA Conference League in the 2024/25 season.

The gameplay

In the exciting encounter, Elversberg was able to take the lead in the first half with a goal from Asllani after Zimmerschied put the ball in front of the goal. But 1. FC Heidenheim was not shocked and equalized through Scienza. The first half ended 1-1.

In the second half, Elversberg was more active and had more of the game, but the attacks mostly remained harmless. Characterized by a lack of penetration, Elversberg rarely came to clear conclusions. Heidenheim, on the other hand, took a wait-and-see approach, while Elversberg did more for the game. The game was officiated by referee Sascha Stegemann, while Sören Storks acted as VAR.

Addition time and decision

The final phase became particularly intense for Elversberg when a rare attack in the 90th minute +4 did not lead to the decisive goal. However, Scienza took advantage of the opportunity and made it 2-1 in stoppage time, a goal from around 15 meters into the left corner of the goal, which ultimately saved Heidenheim from extra time and possible relegation. The stoppage time was tumultuous, with a total of 9 minutes in which Elversberg got a free kick, but luck was not on their side. After the final whistle, the players from both teams left the field exhausted.

Overall, 1. FC Heidenheim was able to prevail in a tough game, while SV Elversberg, even though they had more of the game, were unable to demonstrate the necessary penetration. Both coaches will now have to carefully plan their teams' next steps in the coming season.

For detailed information, reporting on the game was available on Kicker and Focus was used.