Werder Bremen are back in the top flight after securing promotion from 2. Bundesliga on the final day of the season.

Bremen started the day three points ahead of rivals Hamburg and Darmstadt, and only needing to avoid defeat to clinch second place.

They ultimately enjoyed a relatively simple 2-0 win over Jahn Regensburg 2-0 at Weserstadion to spark joyous scenes.

A first-half opener from Niclas Fullkrug was followed early in the second period by a goal courtesy of Marvin Ducksch, who had set up their first.

It means Bremen have returned to the top flight after just one season out of the Bundesliga, from where they were relegated last season for only the second time in their history.

The last time they went down, they also bounced back at the first time of asking (1980-81).

The four-time Bundesliga champions follow Schalke back to the top division after the latter confirmed promotion with a 3-2 win over St. Pauli last week.

Die Knappen then sealed the title on Sunday with a 2-1 win at Nuremberg. A terrific Rodrigo Zalazar strike from inside his own half gave them the lead, before the league's top scorer Simon Terodde netted his 30th goal from as many games shortly after Lukas Schleimer's equaliser for the hosts.

This is the fourth time Terodde has won the top scorer award in the German second tier, and he becomes the first player since Sven Demandt for Fortuna Dusseldorf (35 goals) 33 years go to score 30 in a campaign.

Schalke have sacked Dimitrios Grammozis ahead of the run-in to the 2. Bundesliga campaign, with the club citing a loss of confidence in the coach's ability to earn them promotion this term.

Grammozis originally arrived in March last year as the successor to Christian Gross, but he was unable to keep Schalke in the Bundesliga with an 18th-placed finish.

The former Darmstadt coach was tasked with ensuring a swift return to the top flight this season, yet the seven-time German champions slipped six points off the automatic promotion places with Saturday's 4-3 defeat at home to Hansa Rostock.

Nils Froling's 95th-minute winner for Hansa also left Schalke four points behind Werder Bremen, who occupy the play-off place in third and have a game in hand.

Simon Terodde had equalised three times in scoring a hat-trick but could not rescue Schalke from a fourth home league defeat of the season – their most in a single 2. Bundesliga campaign.

"We have come to a point in the season where big decisions need to be made," sporting director Rouven Schroder noted in a statement on Grammozis' dismissal.

"We no longer believed that we would have a high chance of achieving our goal of returning to the Bundesliga with the current set-up.

"We therefore decided that the team needed a fresh impulse for the end of the season."

Grammozis was the fifth different coach to lead Schalke since Domenico Tedesco's departure in 2019.

Werder Bremen coach Markus Anfang has quit the German club as investigations continue into claims he used a forged COVID-19 vaccine certificate.

Public prosecutors are examining the case, with Anfang having denied any wrongdoing in discussions with the club before he stepped down on Saturday.

Werder's 40-year run in the Bundesliga ended when they were relegated in May, and Anfang was appointed in June to lead the team in their quest for promotion back to the top flight.

The four-time Bundesliga champions announced Anfang and his assistant Florian Junge had both resigned.

Anfang had said on Thursday that he had been double vaccinated and expressed hope the matter would be "cleared up quickly", but that has not yet materialised.

A club statement read: "Head coach Markus Anfang and assistant coach Florian Junge resigned from their offices with immediate effect on Saturday morning. The reason for the decision are the public prosecutor's investigations against both coaches and the resulting unrest in and around the club."

Anfang commented on his departure by saying: "Due to the extremely stressful situation for the club, the team, my family and myself, I have decided that I will end my job as Werder Bremen's head coach with immediate effect."

The announcement came ahead of a Saturday evening 2. Bundesliga clash with Schalke, another mainstay of the Bundesliga who tumbled into the second tier at the end of last season.

Werder managing director of football Frank Baumann said: "With their step, Markus and Florian take on responsibility and thus contribute to ending the unrest that has arisen around the club and the team in the last few days. We respect their decision and will now start looking for a new head coach."

It was also revealed on Saturday that Werder's head of professional football and scouting, Clemens Fritz, has tested positive for COVID-19 and would be absent from the bench for the Schalke game.

Bochum and Greuther Furth sealed promotion to the Bundesliga on Sunday, with Holstein Kiel slipping to third and facing a play-off against Cologne. 

A 3-1 victory over Sandhausen saw Bochum clinch the 2. Bundesliga title and a return to the top flight for the first time since their relegation in 2009-10. 

Greuther twice came from behind to claim a 3-2 victory over Fortuna Dusseldorf, moving them above Kiel and back into the Bundesliga after an eight-year spell in the second tier. 

Kiel, who reached the DFB-Pokal semi-finals this season, missed out on automatic promotion after surrendering a first-half lead in a 3-2 defeat at home to Darmstadt. 

However, they can still earn a place in the top flight for 2021-22 by overcoming Cologne, who escaped automatic relegation from the Bundesliga on Saturday. 

Cologne will be at home for the first leg on Wednesday. The return fixture is scheduled to take place on Saturday.