Overview

• Braunschweig held a 2-0 lead from the first leg and advanced with a 2-2 draw in the return match for a 4-2 aggregate victory.
• Fabio Di Michele Sanchez scored in the 105+2 minute of extra time, and Rayan Philippe added a 120th-minute equalizer to complete the comeback.
• Saarbrücken was reduced to ten men when Calogero Rizzuto received a yellow-red card in the 90+1 minute, leaving them shorthanded in extra time.
• Saarbrücken coach Alois Schwartz criticized referee Tobias Stieler over Rizzuto’s dismissal and prolonged stoppage time during extra time.
• Interim coach Marc Pfitzner, appointed shortly before the playoff, earned praise for his tactical adjustments under pressure.