LONDON — Hull secured an immediate return to the English Premier League and a minimum $250 million cash bonanza by beating Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 in the League Championship playoff final on Saturday.
Mohamed Diame’s goal was worthy of winning soccer’s richest single match, the Senegal midfielder collecting the ball 25 metres out and curling a right-footed shot into the top-right corner in the 72nd minute.
Wednesday goalkeeper Kieren Westwood had produced a string of excellent saves to keep dominant Hull at bay at Wembley Stadium, and got his fingertips to Diame’s shot. He couldn’t keep it out.
Hull bounces back into England’s lucrative top division at the first attempt. Wednesday was seeking a return to the Premier League after a 16-year absence.