Wolfsburg struck the opening blow in their battle to remain in the Bundesliga on Thursday when they defeated neighbours Eintracht Brunswick 1-0 in the first leg of a promotion/relegation play-off.

A Mario Gomez penalty after 35 minutes proved the difference between the two sides who meet in the second leg on Monday.

Wolfsburg, who were league champions in 2009, finished in 16th place in the table forcing them into a play-off against their local rivals who were third in the second division.

Stuttgart and Hanover were automatically promoted to the top flight taking the place of Darmstadt and Ingolstadt who were relegated.