Soccer-Hamburg face relegation playoff, Paderborn, Freiburg go down

BERLIN, May 23 (Reuters) - Former European champions Hamburg SV beat Schalke 04 2-0 on Saturday to avoid direct relegation from the Bundesliga and snatch a playoff spot for the second consecutive year as Paderborn and Freiburg went down. Second-half goals from Ivica Olic and Slobodan Rajkovic lifted Hamburg, the only team to have played in the Bundesliga every season since its creation in 1963, to 35 points in 16th place. They will now face a playoff against the third best team in the second division, which will be decided on Sunday. Paderborn, who were promoted last season, lost 2-1 to VfB Stuttgart, who moved up to 36 points and safety in a dramatic Bundesliga finale. Freiburg scored a late consolation goal in their 2-1 loss to Hanover 96, who also pulled clear of danger on the final day. (Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; editing by Toby Davis)