Hamburg relegated to end record run

Hamburg, who needed Wolfsburg to lose to have any chance of surviving, were beating Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-1 at home when supporters threw flares onto the pitch and the match was halted while police regained order.

Wolfsburg beat Cologne 4-1 to end any resitance from Hamburg, and confirm their place in the relegation playoff as a result. 

It brings to an end the last remaining flawless record since the Bundesliga began, with even Bayern Munich having spent some time in the second division. 

It's a relegation that has been a long time coming, but it was not always this way for Hamburg and their fans. 

England star Kevin Keegan, with his permed locks, moved to Hamburg from Liverpool for a then-record 500,000 pounds in 1977, becoming the Bundesliga's first foreign superstar.

Keegan thrived in the bustling northern German port and was voted European player of the year in both 1978 and 1979. He scored 17 goals as Hamburg won the Bundesliga title for the first time in 1978-79.

Then in the 1980s, legendary Austrian coach Ernst Happel steered Hamburg to triumph in the 1983 European Cup, when Felix Magath scored in a 1-0 win over Juventus in Athens.

Hamburg also won the German title in the 1981-82 and 1982-83 seasons. But no significant silverware has come the club's way since they lifted the German Cup back in 1987.