SV Darmstadt 98 moved closer to retaining their Bundesliga status next year with a 2-0 win over fellow promoted side FC Ingolstadt 04.
Sandro Wagner was the catalyst for the victory, setting up Konstantin Rausch for the opener before grabbing a late second to seal the win.
Goalless after the first half
Danny da Costa played his part in creating the first chance of the match, as Ingolstadt began on the front foot. He fed Lukas Hinterseer who managed to stay onside - in spite of severe Darmstadt protests - to whip in a cross to the near post. It was cleared by Florian Jungwirth, only to catch Moritz Hartmann in the face and almost end in a goal.
Darmstadt's best chance also came from a cross, as Rausch fired a dangerous delivery to Sandro Sirigu. The defender rose above everyone else and forced Ramazan Özcan to tip over his crossbar. The final opportunity in a half dominated by long balls came to Ingolstadt, although Pascal Groß' free-kick was palmed away.
Wagner makes the difference
In the second half, Darmstadt started brightest and should have taken the lead after a quick breakaway. Marcel Heller used his blistering pace to burst down the right, though his cross was blazed over by Rausch at the back post. Eventually, however, the Lilies would strike.
A lovely move by the home side saw several players exchange passes before Wagner turned the ball round the corner for Rausch. The winger took aim and slammed the ball in at the near post, with Özcan helpless. There was a hint of offside at two different stages of the move, but Michael Weiner waved away Ingolstadt protests.
Dario Lezcano and Benjamin Hübner both had brilliant chances to get Ingolstadt back in the game. The former was denied by Christian Mathenia, while Hübner headed wide. That left Wagner to seal the game in the final 10 minutes, sliding home Sirigu's inch-perfect cross to make the final few minutes a little less tense.