S ailplanes land the very same way as other airplanes, and the same landing approach pattern is used as in all aviation.
Most sailplanes have one retractable wheel, which of course needs to be extended before touchdown.
During the landing approach, the pilot controls the speed by using flaps and speed-brakes which are deployed from the wing surfaces. The brakes are also used if the plane comes in too high. Since a glider can't just pull up and wave off in case of a bad landing approach, everything needs to be right the first time. While performing a long-distance flight, it might happen that a sailplane by some reason cannot get back to the home base. The pilot may make a miscalculation somewhere, or the weather may change to the worse and the lifts, which are sorely needed at some point, simply disappear.