Dost double puts Wolfsburg back in second, Schalke slip again
Paderborn stays second-bottom of the Bundesliga with two matches to play after a 3-1 defeat at home to Wolfsburg.
Timm Klose and a double from Bas Dost ended Paderborn's three-game unbeaten run on home soil and restore Wolfsburg's spot in second-place.
Dieter Hecking's side have already secured their place in the Champions League next season and will round off the season with the German Cup final in Berlin against Borussia Dortmund.
Meanwhile, Andre Breitenreiter's side are 17th in their first season in the top-flight and meet Schalke next week before a final day showdown with bottom-placed Stuttgart to survive.
Paderborn has battled against the odds this season and the side from North-Rhine Westphalia is level on 31 points with Hannover in 16th and Freiburg in 15th.
After a bright start at the Benteler Arena, midfielder Lukas Rupp, one of three changes for Breitenreiter's side, was presented with a golden chance on 10 minutes.
The midfielder anticipated the flick-on from Moritz Stoppelkamp, but charged in on goal and blazed his shot high over the crossbar.
Seven minutes later, Paderborn was punished for that missed opportunity as Wolfsburg broke the deadlock. Defender Timm Klose out-powered his opponents in the 18-yard-box, heading into the far corner of the net.
But the shadows in the penalty box lead to some confusion for the assistant referee who felt Luiz Gustavo went for the ball in an offside position. Following some deliberation, the goal stood.
Paderborn offered some threat, but chances were scarce against a well-drilled away side. Mario Vrancic curled a free-kick from 25 yards over the wall and over the crossbar on 23 minutes.
And seconds later, the visitors showed their quality, completing a dominant passing move with Ivan Perisic wonderfully assisting Dost who scored his 15th goal of the league campaign.
A quiet Kevin de Bruyne -- subject of transfer speculation concerning Bayern, Man City and PSG -- floated a lob over the keeper on the half-time whistle, but the ball fell past the post.
Not for a lack of enthusiasm, Breitenreiter's men toiled in the second half as Wolfsburg saw out the match with ease.
Dutchman Dost added his 16th of the season tucking home the rebound from Maxi Arnold's shot on 81 minutes from a yard out before Rupp smashed home a consolation in the first minute of injury time.
Wolfsburg is second in the table on 65 points with a two-point lead over Borussia Monchengladbach and 11 points behind champions Bayern Munich.
Goals from Marcel Risse and Yannick Gerhardt bagged all three points for Cologne to add to Schalke's woes with their hopes of qualifying for Europe under threat.
The Royal Blues ended with a six-game streak without a win last week, but are now in danger of losing out on European football altogether with two games left. Schalke, who were in the hunt for fourth earlier in the year, has just a two-point cushion in sixth ahead of Borussia Dortmund and Werder Bremen.
Roberto Di Matteo's side face Paderborn and Hamburg as the season comes to a close with the former Chelsea coach coming under increasing pressure. Di Matteo decided to omit Max Meyer from the starting eleven with Kevin-Prince Boateng surprisingly given the nod in attack.
Leroy Sane and Julian Draxler started behind Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting who started in place of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar whose goal drought came to an end in last week's 3-2 win over Stuttgart.
Sane, the 19-year-old who dazzled in the Santiago Bernabeu, went on a mazy run in the eighth minute, bearing down on goal but dragged his shot off target. On 22 minutes, Timo Horn denied Dennis Aogo whose backheel was heading goalwards.
It was hardly surprising that neither side played any swashbuckling football considering Cologne's great defensive qualities and Schalke's lack of form. But Cologne's opener on 35 minutes was well-worked - Kazuki Nagasawa cutting the ball back from the right and winger Risse tucking home his fifth league goal of the season.
Substitute Dusan Svento passed up a wonderful chance on 60 minutes, the midfielder shooting past when presented with an open goal after great work again on the break from Nagasawa.
With 10 minutes to go, Risse unleashed a rasping drive that forced Ralf Fahrmann into a very good save to keep Schalke in the game. Risse was involved in the second on 89 minutes, his cross eventually falling fortuitously to the club's former U19 skipper Gerhardt who recorded his first senior Bundesliga goal.
The win moves Cologne into 10th on 39 points and has secured the club's spot in the Bundesliga for the second season in a row after their promotion last year.
