The German football relegation/promotion playoffs concluded this weekend, and on both occasions, it was the higher division team that kept their league status intact. In both cases, the higher ranked team won on the away goals rule.

The first one saw Werder Bremen take on Heidenheim. The first leg in Bremen ended in a 0-0 draw, and the second one saw late drama (two penalties in second half extra time), before finishing 2-2.

The 2.Bundesliga v 3.Bundesliga playoff was even more entertaining. Nuremberg seemed to have had it wrapped up after winning the first leg 2-0 at home, only to go down 3-0 in the return leg against their 3.Liga opponents. However Fabian Schleusener played spoilsport for Ingolstadt by grabbing an injury time goal, which made it 3-1, and saw Nuremberg take the tie on the away goals rule.

Only one Bayern player in this weekend’s Team of the Week, and that was goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. The Bavarian giants had a 1-0 win over Werder Bremen over the weekend, and Neuer, who was also Bayern’s best rated player in the Bild newspaper, finds himself as the team’s sole representative. Fair spread of players, but the most come from Borussia Monchengladbach, who remain in the hunt for a CL spot.

Bild ratings Werder-Bayern