Wolfsburg preserve Bundesliga status after play-off win over Kiel

Wolfsburg secured top-flight safety thanks to their Bundesliga relegation play-off victory against Holstein Kiel.

Featuring in a relegation play-off for the second successive season, 2009 champions Wolfsburg preserved their Bundesliga status with Monday's 1-0 win over the second-tier outfit at Holstein-Stadion.

Robin Knoche's 75th-minute header was all that separated the two teams as Wolfsburg sealed a 4-1 aggregate triumph and a spot in the 2018-19 Bundesliga.

Wolfsburg, who finished 16th and three points adrift of safety during the season, took a 3-1 lead into the return leg after Divock Origi and Yunus Malli starred at the Volkswagen Arena.

Wolfsburg secure 2018/19 Bundesliga berth with 1-0 win in Kiel!

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To the match report  https://t.co/vMzf0RyqIf | #KSVWOB #vflwolfsburg pic.twitter.com/QMcYkr4xgQ

— VfL Wolfsburg EN (@VfLWolfsburg_EN) May 21, 2018

Kiel were looking to join second division champions Fortuna Dusseldorf and Nurnberg in the Bundesliga but they were unable to pull off a turnaround – Knoche's thumping header ending the home team's hopes with 15 minutes remaining.