Heidenheim move out of the bottom of Bundesliga for the first time after their first away win of the year against Köln. All the bottom three clubs will start next week's decider tied on 26 points.
The visitors took the lead with the first chance of the game in the seventh minute. Cenk Özkacar's mistake was punished as Jan Schöppner headed home his first 2026 goal from Arijon Ibrahimović's excellent cross.
Köln's response was immediate. In his only second appearance in place of dejected Diant Ramaj, Frank Feller made his first save a minute after the goal. Another minute later, Marius Bülter leveled the score with an unstoppable strike from a difficult angle.
The 33-year-old winger scored in back-to-back games for the first time since the opening rounds of the league. The end-to-end nature of the game continued as the visitors regained their lead before the half-hour mark.
Despite their spot at the bottom of the league, Heidenheim scored at least two goals in seven of their last ten games. And they did that once again when Kristoffer Lund was unable to keep out Ibrahimović's powerful strike.
Heidenheim managed to end the half defending their lead, but Bülter and Marvin Pieringer squandered clear-cut chances for more goals. The game continued in the same flow after the restart with both teams reaching the final third frequently.
Ibrahimović created another golden chance for Schöppner in the hour mark, but the midfielder was unable to complete his first-ever brace (for the time being). A couple of minutes later, the Bayern loanee tried to do the same for himself, but Marvin Schwäbe pulled a routine save.
At the other end, Luca Waldschmidt was lively since replacing the more defensive-minded Tom Krauß. Interim coach René Wagner also handed club legend Florian Kainz his last appearance at RheinEnergieStadion for the last 20 minutes. Coincidentally, the attacker can reach 200 Bundesliga appearances against FC Bayern before he retires from football.
However, Schöppner extended Heidenheim's lead seconds after the introduction of Kainz. The midfielder scored with a composed finish after getting a similar chance to the one he squandered earlier in the game.
Bülter also came close to scoring his second goal of the game in the 77th minute, but Feller prevented the header from going in with a strong save. Dominique Heintz, who has played for Köln in two spells, also came on for his last home appearance.
Heidenheim were under pressure in the last few minutes of the game, but they held on to go past St. Pauli in the standings. Wolfsburg led Heidenheim by three in terms of goal difference ahead of the final matchday.
Heidenheim will host Mainz in the final matchday next week, while St. Pauli and Wolfsburg lock horns in what could be considered a relegation playoff before the relegation/promotion playoff against the team that will finish third in 2. Bundesliga. Heidenheim
Köln's last game of a disappointing campaign will be against FC Bayern, who will lift the Meisterschale at the end of the game.
