Cologne earn Bundesliga promotion with 4-0 win over Kaiserlautern

BERLIN : Cologne won promotion to the Bundesliga on Sunday with a 4-0 victory over visitors Kaiserlautern that ensured they finished in top spot in the second division.

The three-time Bundesliga champions scored twice in the first 29 minutes with goals from Eric Martel and Luca Waldschmidt to put the game to bed.

They added a third goal with Florian Kainz in the 76th before retiring Mark Uth struck three minutes before the end to punch their ticket back to the Bundesliga a year after their relegation.

Cologne return to top flight football along with already-promoted Hamburg SV, who lost 3-2 to Greuther Fuerth to finish on 59 points, two behind Cologne.

Elversberg, in third place, will go into a promotion/relegation playoff against Heidenheim, who finished in 16th place in the Bundesliga.