Lok Leipzig misses promotion: drama with sending off in Havelse!

Lok Leipzig misses promotion: drama with sending off in Havelse!

On June 1, 2025, 1. FC Lok Leipzig experienced a bitter end in relegation to the 3rd league. After more than 25 years of abstinence, the traditional club had to postpone its return to professional football again. In the second leg against TSV Havelse, which took place in the Bruno Plache Stadium with 10,080 spectators, Lok Leipzig lost 3-0 after extra time after the score was 0-0 in regular time. The goals for Havelse came from Julius Düker (95th), Marko Ilic (110th) and Lorenzo Paldino (113th).

The first relegation game had already ended in a 1-1 draw. In this game, Lok Leipzig was not effective offensively in the first half, but was able to have more ball possession and shots on goal (11:4). The team also had 63% possession of the ball. The course of the first leg was marked by difficulties for Lok, as they struggled against the well-organized Havels defense. Havelse took the lead in the 85th minute with a goal from Marko Ilic, but Cevis then equalized. kicker reports.

Send-offs and exploiting opportunities

In the second leg, the Havels team took advantage of their advantage after being sent off several times at Lok Leipzig. Tobias Dombrowa (80th) and Luc Elsner (118th) saw yellow-red cards, while Pasqual Verkamp (116th) received a straight red card. Havelse's Lorenzo Paldino was also penalized with yellow-red after taking off his jersey while celebrating the goal (115th). Nevertheless, it was Havelse who created a number of chances in the first half, including a free kick from Besfort Kolgeci that hit the post. A potentially decisive goal from captain Düker was disallowed due to an offside position.

Lok Leipzig got into the game better in the second half when Djamal Ziane (65th) missed a very good opportunity. The pressure increased in the final phase, but errors in exploiting opportunities remained evident. Havelse took advantage of the majority and finally scored the decisive goals through Düker, Ilic and Paldino, with Düker converting a shot from over 20 meters into the first goal.

Debate about reforms

After the disappointing outcome for 1. FC Lok Leipzig, a discussion arose about promotion opportunities, as with five regional leagues only four champions can be promoted directly to the 3rd league. An initiative of over 20 clubs is pushing for a reform that will be discussed at the DFB's next Bundestag in November. While the champions of the West and Southwest leagues are promoted directly, the promotion opportunities in the North, Northeast and Bavaria leagues alternate between a permanent promotion and relegation games.

The 2021/22 season meant a bitter relegation for Havelse as second to last in the 3rd league, but now they are facing a possible return, while Lok Leipzig has to fear for their chance again. This setback could be a turning point for the team's future as debate over game structure continues. Time reports.