They don't call it the battle to avoid the drop for nothing. Having gone 2-0 down in a huge six-pointer against fellow struggles Union Berlin, Cologne were teetering on the brink of a confirmed relegation in front of their own fans on Saturday afternoon.

Florian Kainz slotted a penalty back on the stroke of half-time to provide some hope, but that seemed to evaporate with the Billy Goats still trailing in the final minutes. A scrambled Steffen Tigges headed leveller in the 87th minute brought Cologne back on level terms, which would not have been enough to avoid post-match tears - if Damion Downs hadn't headed a third in stoppage time to complete a stunning late comeback.

The roar that greeted the winner could have lifted the roof of the RheinEnergieStadion. Timo Schultz's side have ensured they live to fight another day, but Mainz's 3-0 win over Dortmund later on Saturday does not help their survival chances.

A win away at Heidenheim on the final day of the season next Saturday will be essential, while Union must lose at home to Freiburg - with at least one of those results being by a margin of two goals or more - for Cologne to sneak into a relegation play-off, which would even be against regional rivals Düsseldorf. A daunting task, but you can be quite sure Cologne will come out fighting again!

Highlights

Cologne's relegation confirmed

Matchday 33 talking points

Union dismiss Nenad Bjelica