Dortmund and Wolfsburg secure CL spots

Jerry St. Juste of 1.FSV Mainz 05 tackles Erling Haaland of Borussia Dortmund during the Bundesliga match between 1. FSV Mainz 05 and Borussia Dortmund at Opel Arena on May 16, 2021 in Mainz, Germany.

Borussia Dortmund and Wolfsburg have clinched Champions League qualification on Sunday, while Hamburg's hopes of rejoining the Bundesliga were put on hold for another year.

Dortmund won 3-1 at Mainz and Wolfsburg drew 2-2 at Leipzig to ensure both sides will finish among the top four to qualify for Europe's top club competition.

Leipzig, who secured second place behind league champions Bayern Munich, were already assured of playing in the Champions League next season.

Leipzig looked tired in their first game after losing the German Cup final to Dortmund on Thursday, but fought back with goals from Justin Kluivert and a penalty from Marcel Sabitzer after Maximilian Philipp scored two fine goals in the first half for Wolfsburg.

Dortmund's Raphael Guerreiro opened the scoring in Mainz in the 23rd minute, Marco Reus converted from close range in the 42nd, and substitute Julian Brandt sealed the visitors' win in the 80th.

"This year was a huge effort. We had to fight so much," said Reus, the Dortmund captain, about a season in which Lucien Favre was fired as coach.

Dortmund's win on Sunday was their sixth straight, and it lifted coach Edin Terzic's side into third place, ahead of Wolfsburg on goal difference.

Mainz were much improved for the second half but Erling Haaland set up Brandt for his third goal of the season before Robin Quaison got the hosts' consolation with a penalty in injury time.

In Germany's second division, former Bundesliga heavyweights Hamburg lost 3-2 in Osnabruck to end their promotion hopes for the third successive year.

Hamburg dropped to fifth and can no longer finish in the top three.

"You have to say, we wouldn't have deserved it," Hamburg's interim coach Horst Hrubesch said.

"It wasn't enough. If you go into a game like that, you simply have to do more."

Bochum, Holstein Kiel or Greuther Furth are seeking to secure automatic qualification as the top two from the final round of games next Sunday, while the other will finish third for a two-leg playoff against the team that finishes third from bottom in the Bundesliga.

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