2. Bundesliga: Nürnberg surpass 40-point mark with narrow win over Magdeburg

Nürnberg all but secured safety with a narrow win over relegation-threatened Magdeburg.

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Rafael Lubach's goal on the stroke of half-time secured a big win for Miroslav Klose's Nürnberg at home against Magdeburg. Der Club end their three-game winless streak with the scrappy three points, which saw them get past the 40-point mark.

The gap between the two teams now grows to eight points with only three rounds left to play. Since there are seven teams between them in the standings, Nürnberg can be considered safe from the relegation battle. Meanwhile, Magdeburg are back in the relegation playoff spot as Arminia Bielefeld, Eintracht Braunschweig and Fortuna Düsseldorf go past them with wins earlier on matchday 31.

The first-half of the game lacked quality, but Nürnberg got the all-important goal in injury-time with Henri Koudossou's dribbling skills presenting a golden chance for Lubach. The German U21 international was scoreless since Nürnberg's last game of 2025 against Hannover.

Magdeburg slightly improved after the restart, but it was not enough to stop back-to-back defeats away from home. The league's surprise top-scorer Mateusz Żukowski will be back from suspension when Magdeburg host Hertha next weekend. Nürnberg could secure their place in next season's 2. Bundesliga if they get a result away at Greuther Fürth.