Nuremberg beats Cottbus in Bundesliga playoff
Nuremberg took a huge step toward returning to the German first division when it won the away leg of a two-match playoff series against Energie Cottbus 3-0 on Thursday behind two goals from Isaac Boakye.
Nuremberg, which won the German Cup in 2007 but then got relegated, finished third in the second division to earn a shot at promotion by playing against Cottbus, which finished 16th in the top division. The second leg in Nuremberg is Sunday.
While Cottbus had most of the possession, Nuremberg relied on successful counterattacks.
The home side had several good opportunities early in the game and goalkeeper Raphael Schaefer did well to tip a shot by Jiayi Shao. It was just the first of some outstanding saves by the Nuremberg captain.
Boakye, who once played for the newly crowned Bundesliga champion Wolfsburg, put Nuremberg ahead after 13 minutes when his shot from the edge of the box deflected off Ivan Radeljic.
Shao headed wide late in the first half and Schaefer denied Cottbus on a pair of occasions before Christian Eigler doubled the lead in the 56th after collecting a long pass and chipping the ball over Cottbus goalkeeper Gerhard Tremmel.
The frustrated Cottbus players never found a way to breach Nurembergs solid defense and the visitors could have scored more goals with their counter attacks.
Tremmel was beaten again in the 89th when Boakye struck inside the far post after a good feed form Marek Mintal.
With three away goals, Nuremberg looks all but sure to be promoted, while Cottbus, the only team from former East Germany in the top division, appears set to be relegated.
The playoff was reintroduced this season for the first time since 1991.
