FRANKFURT, Germany — Hamburger SV lost 3-1 in Augsburg on Sunday to suffer another setback in the struggle to avoid the first Bundesliga relegation in the club’s history.
In the late match, Borussia Moenchengladbach won 1-0 at Schalke on a first-half goal by Patrick Herrmann. Schalke failed to strengthen its grip on third place and a direct slot in the Champions League.
Hamburg’s eighth straight away loss also means four teams are safe from relegation. Werder Bremen, Hannover, Freiburg and Eintracht Frankfurt are now mathematically certain to stay in the top flight.
"Our only concern now is the (relegation) playoff place," Hamburg’s coach Mirko Slomka said.
Only Stuttgart can be overhauled by Hamburg, which is 16th and in a relegation playoff place. But Stuttgart is five points ahead with two matches remaining, while Nuremberg and Eintracht Braunschweig are one and two points behind, respectively.
The two-leg playoff involves the 16th-placed team from the Bundesliga and the third-placed team from the second division.
Halil Altintop had two goals and Andre Hahn gave Augsburg a 3-0 lead before Heiko Westermann pulled one back for Hamburg in the 44th.
Schalke remained third with 58 points, three ahead of Leverkusen. Moenchengladbach has 52, two behind Wolfsburg in fifth.
Herrmann’s goal all but secured Moenchengladbach’s place in the Europa League next season.
Both teams wasted good opportunities and Schalke’s Adam Szalai hit the post from close range in the 82nd.
