Darmstadt will be back in the German top tier for the first time in 33 years after their 1-0 win over St. Pauli. It was such a big moment for Dirk Schuster’s side as they will be playing again in Bundesliga for the first time since the 1981-1982 season. Since then, the club has suffered from tough times on and off the fields, including fighting off the threat of bankruptcy as it came close to going out of business.

Their glorious turn back started from the last two seasons as they has secured back-to-back promotions, and finally go back to the Bundeslgia for the first time in 33 years. A with of years was ended in an outpouring of emotions at SV Darmstadt 98’s Stadion am Bollenfalltor in last Sunday (24/5) following their win over St. Pauli.

Twelve months earlier, Darmstadt being promoted from the third tier to Bundesliga 2, the club repeated the feat, marching through and conquering Bundesliga 2 in just one season. “It’s like a dream,” said winger Marcel Heller. “I still can’t describe it and I’m just so pleased that we have been promoted,” he continued.

Tobias Kempe scored the only goal at the game, finding the back of the net with a long-range free kick in the 71st minute. “The goal really came as a relief to us, but we never doubted that we might not make it,” said defender Benjamin Gorka. They held on remarkably to seal the spot in one of the great modern footballing histories in Germany.

This result means Darmstadt finishes the 2014/2015 season in second place, five points behind Bundesliga champion Ingolstadt. A return to the top flight of German football for the first time since 1982 may not necessarily been planned by the team, but it was the logical result of such hard and meticulous work.