By Mark Meadows, dpa

Berlin (dpa) – Former champions VfB Stuttgart were relegated from the Bundesliga on the last day of the season on Saturday after meekly losing 3-1 at VfL Wolfsburg.

Werder Bremen face a two-leg relegation play-off against second tier Nuremberg on Thursday and the following Monday after a late 1-0 defeat at Werder Bremen in what turned out to be a straight fight to avoid finishing third-bottom.

Papy Djilobodji scrambled in the 88th minute winner but Claudio Pizarro was arguably offside in the buildup.

Bremen could have been facing the immediate drop if results had gone another way but instead jumped to 13th. It was Stuttgart who ended up as the fall guys following bottom side Hanover into the second division.

Stuttgart, German champions as recently as 2007, only just avoided relegation last season and started this campaign badly. Juergen Kramny replaced Alexander Zorniger after 13 matches and gradually they began to climb the table.

They reached as high as 10th after a run of five wins in a row and looked to be almost comfortable in mid-table until a string of five straight defeats, which became six with Saturday’s surrender.

«We weren’t relegated today. We made a lot of mistakes across the course of the season,» Stuttgart forward Martin Harnik told Sky TV.

Last term’s runners-up Wolfsburg have had a woeful season this time round but were quickly off the mark against Stuttgart, Maximilian Arnold converting a cross from close range after 11 minutes.

Kramny sank into his seat in the dugout and it was soon much worse when Andre Schuerrle’s deflected shot made it 2-0 for Wolfsburg after just half an hour.

Stuttgart pulled one back through Daniel Didavi but Schuerrle added another late on and they were relegated for the first time since 1975. Two other sides from the city, Stuttgart’s reserves and Stuttgart Kickers were also relegated from the third division this season.

Bremen against Eintracht was a cagey affair but once news came through of Stuttgart losing, the mood improved at the Weserstadion, and the hosts eventually grabbed the goal that condemned Eintracht to the play-off instead.

The relegation places were the only major issue still to be sorted out in the Bundesliga with Borussia Moenchengladbach’s superior goal difference meaning they had all but sewn up fourth spot and a Champions League qualifying place even before a 2-0 win at Darmstadt.

Given champions Bayern Munich and second-placed Borussia Dortmund meet in the German Cup final next Saturday having already qualified for the Champions League, seventh spot receives a Europa League berth as well as fifth and sixth.

The order had to be decided and Schalke bagged fifth and a berth straight in the Europa League group stage following a 4-1 win at Hoffenheim.

But it was coach Andre Breitenreiter’s last game in charge after he announced before kick-off that new sporting director Christian Heidel had asked him to leave.

Mainz ended up sixth and gained direct entry to the Europa League after a 0-0 draw with Hertha Berlin, who finished seventh having long been a top four contender and now face Europa League qualifiers.

Bayern celebrated their title and the last home game for departing coach Pep Guardiola with a 3-1 win over Hanover.

Robert Lewandowski took his Bundesliga goal tally to 30 with a deflected effort, making him the first man to reach the milestone since 1977.

Mario Goetze increased their advantage with two goals in what might have been his final game at the Allianz Arena, with even Bayern honorary president Franz Beckenbauer saying he should sign for Liverpool to re-energize his career.

Guardiola was hailed by chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge on the pitch.

«Dear Pep, I would like to thank you on behalf of all of Bayern Munich. We have had three great years with you,» he said.

The party after the trophy presentation was though cut short by fans getting on to the pitch.

Dortmund will go into the cup final against Bayern on the back of a
2-2 home draw against Cologne, which came despite a wonderful opener from distance by Gonzalo Castro. The game was Mats Hummels’ final home appearance for Dortmund before moving to big rivals Bayern.

In other results, Ralph Hasenhuettl said goodbye to Ingolstadt before taking over at promoted RB Leipzig with a 3-2 defeat at third-placed Bayer Leverkusen.

Markus Weinzierl, tipped by the media to take over at Schalke, probably took charge of Augsburg for the final time in a 3-1 home defeat by Hamburg.