VfL Osnabrück has successfully secured its spot as the first promoted team from the 3. Liga. A strong performance by VfB Stuttgart’s second team, who defeated Rot-Weiß Essen with a score of 6:1, removed all doubts about the Lilac-Whites’ promotion to the 2. Bundesliga.
During the match, Osnabrück enjoyed watching the Stuttgart players in what appeared to be a frenzy of exciting play. Earlier in the season, the team, managed by Timo Schultz, had put together a superb campaign. With 73 points accrued over 35 matches played out of 38, Osnabrück currently sits atop the league table. They lead behind Energie Cottbus, who have 66 points, and Essen, which has 64 points, although Essen has completed 36 matches and has a question mark over its promotion chances.
The league rules dictate that the two top teams in the 3. Liga are promoted directly. The team that finishes third must compete in the relegation playoff against the 16th-placed side of the 2. Bundesliga to secure promotion. This leaves Duisburg, and mathematically speaking, also Verl, Rostock, and Aachen, all still in the running.
