Coach Felix Magath admitted feeling an empty sense of relief after avoiding relegation from the Bundesliga for the fourth time in his career thanks to VfL Wolfsburg's 3-1 win at Hoffenheim.

Having conceded a goal just after halftime, his side were heading for a defeat which would have meant a drop to the second division before they roared back to floor Hoffenheim when the German league season finished on Saturday.

Wolves were rescued when Croatia striker Mario Mandzukic netted twice before Brazil striker Grafite scored a third to seal victory.

The result means the 2009 champions avoid relegation by just two points and finish 15th - just above the relegation zone.

Magath maintains his proud record of having never been relegated despite four close shaves, having also won the Bundesliga title just two years ago with Wolfsburg and twice while coach of Bayern Munich.

The 57-year-old also avoided relegation with Hamburg, in 1995-96, Eintracht Frankfurt, in 1999-2000 and VfB Stuttgart, in 2000-01.

"It's been dramatic," admitted Magath, who only took over as Wolfsburg coach in March after ex-England coach Steve McClaren was sacked as his side slid down the table.

"The tension was incredibly high. We fell behind early in the second half and because of the other results, it meant we were effectively relegated, so this is a tremendous relief."

There was drama in the buildup to kick off as Wolfsburg's Brazil midfielder Diego stormed out on the team after being dropped for the final game.

The 26-year-old playmaker, who has won 33 caps for Brazil, walked out of the pre-match team meeting after being told by Magath and then refused to travel with the team to the Wolfsburg stadium.

The Brazilian now has an uncertain future and is set to be at least heavily punished following his tantrum.

"Initially, we wanted to build a new team around him next season, but after what has happened, we'll see," said the disciplinarian Magath.

The bad-boy Brazilian has also fallen offside with his teammates.

Eintracht Frankfurt and St Pauli are the two teams to be relegated.

Borussia Moenchengladbach end the season in 16th and will face a two-legged playoff against VfL Bochum who finished third in the second division with a topflight place at stake.

Agencies

Bundesliga

Rank Team  Points

1  Dortmund 75

2 Leverkusen 68

3 Bayern Munich 65

16 M'gladbach 36

17 Frankfurt  34

18  St. Pauli 29

Top scorers

Rank Player Team Goals

1  Mario Gomez Bayern Munich 28

2 P. D. Cisse  Freiburg 22

3 M. Novakovic Koln 17

4 L. B. Barrios Dortmund 16

 Theofanis Genas Frankfurt 16

 Srdjan Lakic Kaiserslautern 16

Graphics: GT