Key Takeaways
- SV Elversberg hammered SC Paderborn 07 5-1 to climb to second in the 2. Bundesliga.
- Lukas Petkov scored twice and assisted another as the hosts took control of the promotion race.
- FC Schalke 04 have been crowned champions following this result and Hannover 96’s draw.
SV Elversberg have moved into second position in the 2. Bundesliga table following a convincing 5-1 win against promotion rivals SC Paderborn 07. The victory puts the modest club firmly in control of their own destiny with just two rounds of the season remaining.
The side from Saarland narrowly missed out on a first-ever promotion to the Bundesliga through the playoffs last term. Now they stand on the brink of automatic promotion. Both SC Paderborn 07 and Hannover 96 sit one point behind Elversberg. Hannover could only manage a draw against bottom side SpVgg Greuther Fürth at home on the same day.
Lukas Petkov led the attack for the hosts. The Bulgarian forward set up Maximilian Rohr for the opener after just four minutes. He then added two goals of his own before half-time. This takes his tally to 19 direct goal involvements this campaign.
Recent arrivals David Mokwa and Raif Adam, who joined in January, also found the net to complete the rout.
Elversberg will meet Fortuna Düsseldorf and SC Preußen Münster in their final two fixtures. Both opponents are fighting to avoid relegation. Paderborn must recover from two straight losses when they face Karlsruher SC and SV Darmstadt 98. These sides have little motivation left this term.
This result, combined with Hannover’s stalemate, means FC Schalke 04 have secured the league title.