SV Elversberg - 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 | Season 2024/2025

Highlights

All matches

FINAL

URSAPHARM-Arena

1. FC Heidenheim 1846

90' +5'

ScienzaLéo Scienza

FellhauerRobin Fellhauer

31'

HonsakMathias Honsak

S. Stegemann

URSAPHARM-Arena

1:53

Watch: Love, joy and tears in play-off

Heidenheim were celebrating, but it was heartbreak for Elversberg following a dramatic conclusion to the 2024/25 Bundesliga promotion/ relegation play-off.

The Bundesliga clubs of the 2025/26 season

And here is the official list of next season's Bundesliga participants.

A map of all of the clubs for the 2025/26 Bundesliga season

That result means the list of Bundesliga clubs for next season is finally confirmed. Here's how that looks on a map.

The Heidenheim party will continue long into the night

The Heidenheim end of the stadium is still full as the fans celebrate with the players and sing their full repertoire of songs. It seems unlikely that any Heidenheim fans will be getting an early night tonight. They will be in the Bundesliga again next season.

The Elversberg fans stand strong

Despite the result, the Elversberg fans are still in the stands, applauding the fantastic efforts of their players. The players clap in return, but they are absolutely devastated. Elversberg showed real heart throughout the play-off, and they will undoubtedly be fighting hard for promotion from Bundesliga 2 again next season.

Full-time: Elversberg 1-2 Heidenheim (3-4 on aggregate)

That goal is the last meaningful action, and Heidenheim have done it! They have secured their Bundesliga status for another season through that magnificent last-minute winner from Scienza. Elversberg played some magnificent football, but in the end, it was some Brazilian magic that proved their undoing.

End of second half

Full-time

90'

+ 7

Substitution

Benedikt Gimber

Léo Scienza

90'

+ 7

Substitution

Jonas Föhrenbach

Frans Krätzig

90'

+ 7

Substitution

Manuel Feil

Lukas Petkov

90'

+ 7

Substitution

Younes Ebnoutalib

Muhammed Damar

Sensational stuff, Heidenheim lead!

Absolutely incredible, Heidenheim have surely won it at the death! Zivzivadze and Wanner combine before the latter plays through Scienza. He skips past Le Joncour magnificently before firing home emphatically. Heidenheim lead 4-3 on aggregate. That is surely that!

90'

+ 5

Léo Scienza

GOAL!

1:2

Goal probability

Goal probability determines the likelihood that the ball will land in the goal from every position on the pitch. The value is based on large amounts of data from previous years; factors such as shot angle, distance to goal and opponent pressure - as well as mathematical models.

16 %

Shot speed

Shot speed describes the maximum speed in km/h that a ball reaches in a shot on goal. The distance is measured from the location of the shot to the centre of the goal.

106.21 km/h

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

16.79 m

90'

+ 4

A good move

Wanner and Zivzivadze combine well on the edge of the box before Zivzivadze shoots. However, he is off balance and his shot flies over.

90'

+ 1

Five minutes added on

Can either side find the goal that will almost certainly be enough for a place in the Bundesliga next season?

90'

Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 90 minutes

Through high-end camera technology and machine learning, the speed of each player is evaluated in real time. Top speed then means, the fastest measured single frame of a player/game.

Leonardo Weschenfelder Scienza33.85km/h

Maurice Neubauer32.98km/h

Lukas Emanuel Petkov32.87km/h

89'

Ambitious from Neubauer

Neubauer lines one up from about 35 yards out. He strikes it well, but his effort is straight at Müller.

86'

Elversberg continuing to dominate the ball

Heidenheim are continuing to play passively before looking for the counter-attack.

Possession (%)

6535

86'

Substitution

Luca Schnellbacher

Tom Zimmerschied

The moment Asllani thought he had given Elversberg the lead

Asllani thought he had given the hosts the lead just after half-time, but the goal was disallowed for an offside in the build-up.

79'

Wanner earns himself a yellow card immediately

Almost Wanner's first action is to pick up a yellow card for stopping an attack.

79'

Yellow card

Paul Wanner

78'

Double substition from the visitors

Wanner and Dortsch are brought on for Kerber and Honsak. Can Wanner make the difference against his former club?

78'

Substitution

Paul Wanner

Mathias Honsak

78'

Substitution

Niklas Dorsch

Luca Kerber

76'

A draw the most likely result

Both sides now only have a 20% chance of winning or less in normal time, according to our statistics.

73'

Yet another break in play

Kerber is the latest to go to ground with an injury. We'll have a lot of added time at the end of the 90.

68'

Zimmerschied the latest in the book

Zimmerschied slides in late on Scienza and picks up a yellow card for his troubles.

68'

Yellow card

Tom Zimmerschied

67'

Kerber blazes over

Honsak battles his way down the right before sending in a well-placed low cross to Kerber. He hits it first time from inside the box, but his half-volley is always rising.

62'

Zivzivadze adds another effort to the shot tally

Zivzivadze breaks forward down the left before delivering a cross/shot that ends up straight in the arms of Kristof.

A good game and a good atmosphere

Both sides are still searching for a way through.

59'

An even game

xGoals

The xGoals value of a club is calculated from the sum of all goal probabilities (goals and shots on goal) of that team. During a match, it’s easy to see whether the club is performing better than expected (goals > xGoals) - or maybe even higher (xGoals > goals).

Elversberg have had more of the ball, but Heidenheim have had more shots. All in all, it has been a very even game and an even tie overall.

xGoals

0.58

0.83

Goals

55'

Yellow card

Luca Kerber

54'

Elversberg continuing to press

Despite the disallowed goal, Elversberg have maintained their momentum as they continue to press for a goal.

48'

Elversberg think they have the lead

But the goal is disallowed for offside. Baum sends in a low cross towards Petkov, who attempts to play the ball but misses. Butsch then clears before Asllani can get on the ball. The rebound is then nodded down to Asllani by Zimmerschied, who turns the ball home from close range. Unfortunately for the hosts, in attempting to play the ball, the offside Petkov was interfering in play, and the goal is disallowed.

48'

SituationGoal

ReviewOffside?

DecisionNo goal

46'

Back underway

Can either side make the breakthrough in normal time, or do we still have a long night of football left to play?

Kick-off!

Half-time

Half-time: Elversberg 1-1 Heidenheim

Heidenheim took the lead after nine minutes through Honsak, but since then, the visitors have sat back. That gave Elversberg the chance to control the play and this eventually led to the equaliser. Good football led to Fellhauer bursting into the box and finishing, a goal that the hosts probably deserved. It's 1-1 on the night and 3-3 on aggregate, still everything to play for in this tie.

45'

+ 5

Zimmerschied battling through

The bleeding doesn't seem to have stopped yet for Zimmerschied and he is currently running around the pitch dabbing his lip with a tissue.

45'

+ 2

Six minutes added on

We're going to have at least six minutes of added time, although that will likely be more because of the most recent stoppage.

45'

+ 1

Another stop in play

This time, the game has to stop as Zimmerschied is bleeding from his face after catching an arm from Traoré. He seems okay, though, just requires tidying up.

45'

Honsak fires over

Honsak tries to work himself space on the edge of the box, but his shot goes well over the bar.

43'

Traoré goes into the book

Traoré slips whilst trying to make a challenge and takes out Zimmerschied. The challenge earns him a place in the referee's book.

43'

Yellow card

Omar Traoré

42'

Almost a big opening

Scienza once more finds himself with space to run into in a dangerous area. He has Honsak to his right, but his pass is overhit and the attack fades out. A bit less power on that pass and Honsak would have had a real chance.

38'

More pressure from the hosts

Petkov gets to the byline and puts in a low cross that is hastily cleared away. The ball eventually comes to Fellhauer on the edge of the box. He hits it well, but his effort is whipped wide of the target.

38'

The hosts are controlling the ball

Elversberg like to have the ball and Heidenheim are allowing them to have it so far.

Possession (%)

6535

33'

Zivzivadze heads one goalwards

Zivzivadze tries to latch onto a long ball and head it towards goal, but it's a tricky one and his effort goes comfortably over the bar.

Fellhauer equalises

Elversberg are level! It's lovely football too. Zimmerschied moves into some space on the edge of the box to receive a pass. He then moves towards goal before slipping Fellhauer in behind. Elversberg's captain makes no mistake from close range to equalise. We're level once more.

31'

Robin Fellhauer

GOAL!

1:1

Goal probability

49 %

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

10.01 m

30'

Speed check: The fastest player in the game after 30 minutes

Through high-end camera technology and machine learning, the speed of each player is evaluated in real time. Top speed then means, the fastest measured single frame of a player/game.

Maurice Neubauer32.34km/h

Elias Niklas Baum32.07km/h

Tom Zimmerschied31.56km/h

27'

Ball Recovery Time

Ball Recovery Time gives the time in seconds in which it takes a team to win back the ball following a loss of possession. It also allows conclusions to be drawn about a team's style of play. Only time when the ball is in play is counted (i.e. no breaks in play such as for goal-kicks, throw-ins etc).

ELV

FCH

10.4 s

17.6 s

25'

Sickinger has his shot blocked

Sickinger gets onto a loose ball after a cross is cleared and shoots, but his effort is blocked.

23'

Pieringer also can't continue

Pieringer suffered a nasty ankle injury during the build-up to Heidenheim's goal and he hasn't been able to run it off. Zivzivadze comes on to replace him.

23'

Substitution

Budu Zivzivadze

Marvin Pieringer

21'

Mainka heads the ball goalwards

Scienza sends a corner into a heavily crowded penalty area. The ball is initially half-cleared before being sent back towards Mainka, who flicks it on goalwards, but straight at the goalkeeper.

18'

Scienza comes close

The Brazilian wins and takes a free-kick from a dangerous area, but unlike on Thursday, this time the shot doesn't lead to anything as it flies harmlessly over the bar.

18'

Şahin can't continue

Şahin goes down again off the ball and this time he is unable to continue. Sickinger comes on to replace him.

18'

Substitution

Carlo Sickinger

Semih Şahin

14'

A short break in play

Şahin goes down after a duel with Pieringer. A challenge that required treatment, but so far, he seems able to continue.

The visitors lead through Honsak

Scienza latches onto a loose ball in midfield before driving into the space. He feeds Honsak, who just has the keeper to beat, and he finishes it with aplomb. The visitors lead for the first time in this tie.

Mathias Honsak

GOAL!

0:1

Goal probability

45 %

Shot speed

Shot speed describes the maximum speed in km/h that a ball reaches in a shot on goal. The distance is measured from the location of the shot to the centre of the goal.

95.54 km/h

Distance to Goal

The distance to goal is measured at the time of the shot - from the position of the ball to the center of the goal.

16.15 m

Almost a big opening

Zimmerschied nicks the ball off Busch inside the Heidenheim penalty area and tries to find Damar, but Müller is alert to the danger and intercepts.

Pieringer tests Kristof

First shot of the game from Pieringer as he gets to the loose ball after an aerial duel and hits one well with his left foot. Kristof gets down well to make the save.

An intense start

No chances so far, as both sides are refusing to give each other any space. A couple of firm challenges have gone in already.

We're underway

Heidenheim get the game started.

Kick-off!

Players on the pitch

Just a couple of minutes from kick-off now as both captains take part in the coin toss. Heidenheim will start the game.

A lively atmosphere

The Elversberg fans are currently working their way through the club's rendition of songs. We're getting very close to this showdown getting underway now.

Players warming up

Just 15 minutes to kick-off now and the players have been out on the pitch getting themselves prepared ahead of kick-off. Here are the players on their way to the pitch earlier.

Scienza to make his mark again?

The Brazilian came on to great effect in the first leg as he helped turn the tide in the second half. First, he won and then took the free-kick that led directly to the goal from Siersleben, then it was his shot that Kristof palmed into the path of Honsak for 2-2.

More on that Elversberg team

Horst Steffen makes just the one change from Thursday's game as Pinckert returns to the starting XI after missing the first game through suspension.

More on that Heidenheim team

After his wonderful impact off the bench in the first leg, Scienza is given a starting spot tonight in place of Beck. Dorsch is also replaced by Kerber as Schmidt decides to replace two of the players who came off at half-time on Thursday.

Elversberg starting XI

Kristof – Baum, Pinckert, Le Joncour, Neubauer – Fellhauer, Şahin – Petkov, Damar, Zimmerschied – Asllani

Elversberg subs

Boss, Rohr, Feil, Schmahl, Sickinger, Schnellbacher, Gerezgiher, Stock, Ebnoutalib

Heidenheim starting XI

Müller – Busch, Mainka, Siersleben – Traoré, Kerber, Schöppner, Krätzig – Honsak, Scienza- Pieringer

Heidenheim subs

Feller, Gimber, Föhrenbach, Wanner, Niehues, Beck, Dorsch, Zivzivadze, Conteh

Heidenheim- how they got here

Heidenheim took the Bundesliga by storm just under a year ago, the top-flight newcomers finishing eighth to qualify for the UEFA Conference League play-offs. Frank Schmidt masterminded his team's path into the competition proper, but those famous European nights came at the expense of their domestic form. Hovering precariously above the relegation zone at the halfway stage, Heidenheim spent much of February and early March in the bottom two, before a late-season surge secured the play-off lifeline.

1:18

Watch: Elversberg - how they got here

Playing in Bundesliga 2 for only the second time in their history - after finishing 11th on debut a year ago - Elversberg successfully defended third place during the 2024/25 season run-in to clinch the play-off berth. Horst Steffen's charges took 58 points from 34 games, finishing just a point behind runners-up Hamburg, who went up automatically alongside champions Cologne. The Saarland outfit rounded out the regular season with a joint-second-best 64 goals scored, and they also had the second-best defence, conceding just 37.

0:59

Watch: Elversberg's top 5 goals in 2024/25

Elversberg were the second top scorers in Bundesliga 2, so there were plenty of goals to choose from, but here are the five best.

Perhaps not what the Heidenheim players are used to

After two years in the Bundesliga, Elversberg's humble stadium must be quite a different experience from what the Heidenheim players have become accustomed to.

Can Asllani inspire the hosts once more?

Asllani provided a goal and an assist in the first leg of the Bundesliga play-off, and he will be hoping to add to that tonight in front of a packed home crowd. He already managed 26 goal contributions in the regular Bundesliga 2 season.

The stadium is now open ahead of tonight's huge match

Only an hour and a half until kick-off now and the stadium has opened with fans starting to take their seats.

Almost the whole city can fit in the stadium

Elversberg's URSAPHARM-Arena has a capacity of 10,000, a number only a little less than the city's population of around 13,000. That means the streets of Spiesen-Elversberg could be rather empty once the game kicks off tonight.

Could Elversberg become the Bundesliga's smallest ever club?

Spiesen-Elversberg is the home of Elversberg football club, and it has just under 13,000 residents. Should they earn promotion tonight, Elversberg would become the Bundesliga's smallest ever club based on the number of people living in the city. At the moment, that is a record held by Hoffenheim, who are based in Sinsheim, which has a population of around 37,000.

Horst Steffen on facing Heidenheim

"We're looking forward to having a great crowd here again and welcoming our fans. Both teams played courageously [in the first leg] and showed quality. Our boys took a good feeling from the game. It was highly intense and we know it will be the same on Monday. We have to play with a high intensity again. It's fantastic that we have the deciding game at home."

Frank Schmidt on facing Elversberg

"I think tomorrow is our 48th game of the season and there are naturally many lessons to be learned over such a long campaign. In the end, it's about implementing what you know about your opponent and what you know about your own strengths. The tension is there, that's quite clear, and you can't get away from it; it's just part of it. We will play this game determinedly and aren't afraid of it. We want to win and play in the Bundesliga again next year."

Fan power!

Heidenheim sold out their 1,600 allocated tickets for the away end of the Waldstadion an der Kaiserlinde for Monday's second leg in just five minutes! With the compact ground in Saarland set to be packed to the rafters, we can expect a spectacular atmosphere with the play-off on a knife edge.

10:01

Watch: The story of Bochum's dramatic play-off survival

Having lost 3-0 at home in the first leg of last year's play-off, Bochum produced an unprecedented comeback at Fortuna Düsseldorf to retain their Bundesliga status in the drama of a penalty shootout.

5:59

Watch: The best play-off-winning goals

Enjoy some of the best goals scored in the Bundesliga promotion/relegation play-offs over the years.

What is the play-off?

The Bundesliga's play-off differs from more conventional fixtures referred to as play-offs that often feature four teams contesting a semi-final and a final. In Germany, the teams who finish 16th in the Bundesliga and third in Bundesliga 2 contest the two-legged promotion/relegation play-off - known in German simply as the 'Relegation'. The last five editions have been won by the Bundesliga club...

Frank Schmidt reflects on first leg

"We wanted to win this game, so we are not happy based on what we wanted to achieve ahead of this game. However, if you are losing 2-0 at half time and you get back into the game, then you can be happy, especially with the way in which the team battled its way back. It was a thrilling game for the fans with a lot of chances and a lot of intensity. We will see how things continue on Monday."

Horst Steffen reflects on first leg

"We have something to build on at home and we have stayed in the promotion race, which is what we want to win at home. It was an intense and high-tempo game for us, so we know for Monday that we have to be a bit more precise in certain situations to create more opportunities. The game was played at a high tempo, which made it a challenge for us to defend."

Asllani: "We have to accept it"

Fisnik Asllani, who scored one and set up the other of Elversberg's goals in the first leg, bemoaned the turnaround after Thursday's game: "I think we were still playing well at the start of the second half, but we conceded an unlucky goal. If we didn’t concede that goal, who knows how the game might have ended. But it can happen, and we have to accept it. We will give everything on Monday to try to get promoted into the Bundesliga."

Mainka: "A good result for us now"

Speaking after the final whistle on Thursday, Heidenheim captain Patrick Mainka said of having been 2-0 down: "It was a little disappointing because we had some good chances at the beginning of the first half, but they were clinical and scored two goals from two chances. We said that we needed a result for Monday, and we scored two goals, so it’s a good result for us for now.”

2:03

Watch: Highlights of the first leg

The Bundesliga 2 side raced into a 2-0 lead in the first half away at Heidenheim, but the hosts hit back with two goals in the space of two minutes after the break to get themselves right back in this tie as they battle to retain their top-flight status.

Welcome!

It's still all to play for in the 2024/25 play-off to determine who will play in the Bundesliga next season. The second leg in Elversberg on Monday kicks off at 8.30pm CEST with the tie finely poised at 2-2.