GERMANY

Borussia Moenchengladbach will play in the Champions League group stage for the first time next season after beating Werder Bremen 2-0 to secure a top-three finish with a game to spare.

Schalke 04's players stand in front of their supporters after their Bundesliga first division soccer match against Paderborn in Gelsenkirchen, Germany May 16, 2015. Schalke won the match 1-0. [Photo/Agencies]

Schalke 04 rescued a Europa League spot from an otherwise disappointing domestic campaign thanks to a late own goal from Paderborn's Uwe Huenemeier.

VfB Stuttgart gave themselves a lifeline with a 2-1 win over Hamburg SV, who drop to 17th place.

Hamburg could see their record of being the only team to have played every season in the Bundesliga since its creation in 1963 end next week.