Elversberg’s run from the fourth division to the Bundesliga has been stopped. In front of 9,970 fans at the Waldstadion an der Kaiserlinde, Bundesliga side Heidenheim beat 2. Bundesliga Elversberg 2-1 (4-3 on aggregate) to win the Relegation Playoffs.

Heidenheim secured its spot in the Bundesliga most dramatically. Dominated on the pitch by the lower division team, Heidenheim forward Leonardo Scienza scored with just seconds remaining.

It was Heidenheim’s only opportunity in the second half. The Bundesliga team had taken the lead thanks to a goal by Mathias Honsak (9’). But from then on, it was all Elversberg, and in the 31st minute, Robin Fellhauer finally scored the equalizer.

Then, within seconds of the second-half kickoff, Elversberg thought they had the lead. Fisnik Asllani thought he had given the Saarländer the lead, but VAR intervened correctly—Lukas Petkov was offside in the buildup.

“I was praying that it would be a goal,” Asllani said in the mixed zone after the game. “But I think it is the correct decision. After all, that’s what VAR is for: to make correct decisions. Otherwise, it would be pointless.”

It felt like the decisive moment of the game because even though Elversberg dominated, the club coached by Horst Steffen didn’t generate enough dangerous situations. Although they dominated possession and encircled Heidenheim in their own end, opportunities to score goals were lacking.

“Fortune wasn’t on our side,” Steffen said. “A few centimetres decide whether you win or lose the game. It is really sad. It is a sad moment. We thought we had a big opportunity and fulfilled our dream of reaching the Bundesliga.”

The xG underlines this observation. While Heidenheim had an xG of 1.55, Elversberg’s xG was just 1.55. Heidenheim also produced more shots on goal (11 to 8). “We just weren’t clinical enough,” Steffen said when asked about the difference between his side and Heidenheim. “Perhaps we just lacked the experience to get the job done.”

On balance, Heidenheim’s performance over the full 180 minutes wasn’t pretty. Although Heidenheim boss Frank Schmidt has evolved his game over the last few years, his sense of pragmatism has always been the foundation of the Swabian-based club.

Sitting deep and absorbing the pressure, Heidenheim, in fact, never really looked in danger of conceding a second goal. And while the almost 10,000 fans in the Waldstadion were getting ready for 30 minutes of extra time, Scienza broke through the box and ended the match with seconds to go.

“It is difficult to put it all in words,” Schmidt said after the game. “I knew that it would be a difficult task as Elversberg under Steffen plays good football. Even though you know how they play, they are hard to defend.”

Then Schmidt admitted what everyone saw with their own eyes. “To be honest, we didn’t do much in the attack,” Schmidt said. “Until Scienza and Paul Wanner, who came on fresh, combined to get the job done.”

Moments of ecstasy for the winner and agony for the loser followed. “It is brutal,” Schmidt said. “We have experienced it ourselves. It is cruel that a team that finished third in the 2. Bundesliga has to play in the relegation playoffs. You play a great season, and your dream is being shattered.”

Failure in the 2020 relegation playoffs for Heidenheim wasn’t the end of the story. The club would win the 2. Bundesliga in 2023. Perhaps in a few years, Elversberg might be there as well.

Indeed, an argument could be made that the Saarländer weren’t quite ready for promotion yet. Promoted twice in the last three seasons, Elversberg’s infrastructure hasn’t quite kept pace with the club’s growth.

One example is the stadium, which is currently being expanded to 15,000 seats and, as a result, is open on one end. Still, the club is doing a fantastic job, and there is a sense of when and not if Elversberg will eventually represent the Saarland in the Bundesliga.