2. Bundesliga
League leaders Hamburg had to settle for a 1-1 draw on Saturday as Kaiserslautern's Lex-Tyger Lobinger earned a late equaliser just moments after Sonny Kittel missed a penalty at the other end.
Hamburg 1-1 Kaiserslautern
Goals: 1-0 Glatzel 22', 1-1 Lobinger (assist: Redondo) 82'
Hamburg went into Saturday's meeting with Kaiserslautern in a rich vein of form, having stormed to the top of the table on the back of a five-match winning streak. And the early knockings looked to suggest that the hosts would soon chalk up a sixth straight victory as star striker Robert Glatzel put his side ahead midway through the first half. It was the excellent work of Kittel on the Hamburg left that led to the opener, with his menacing cross-cum-shot forcing Andreas Luthe into a save but the Lautern goalkeeper could only parry the ball into the preying Glatzel, who rebounded the ball back and into the net.
The visitors had a major chance to pull themselves level just after the hour mark as Kenny Prince Redondo broke clear of Sebastian Schonlau but, one-on-one with Matheo Raab in the HSV goal, he blazed over the bar. It looked like it would be a costly miss when, with 10 minutes remaining, Hamburg were given a penalty kick - and the chance to wrap up all three points. Kittel, though, could not convert from 12-yards as Luthe made a brilliant stop diving to his left to keep his team in the contest. And Kaiserslautern immediately profited from their reprieve as Redondo beat Moritz Heyer to the ball out on the HSV left before flashing a ball across that box for substitute Lobinger to stab home.
Teams
Hamburg: Raab - Heyer, Schonlau (c), Vuskovic, Muheim - Benes (Amaechi 85'), Meffert, Reis - Jatta (Königsdörffer 71'), Glatzel, Kittel (Suhonen 85')
Unused subs: Mickel, David, Zumberi, Bilbija, Krahn
Out: Dompe (ankle), Heil (foot), Megeed (metatarsal)
Coach: Tim Walter
Kaiserslautern: Luthe – Bormuth, Tomiak, Kraus - Durm (Opoku 76'), Ritter, Niehues, Zuck - Klement, Redondo (Zimmer 86') – Boyd (Lobinger 66')
Unused subs: Spahic, Schad, Bünning, Ciftci, Wunderlich, Hanslik
Out: Zolinski (knee)
Coach: Dirk Schuster
Matchday 11 round-up
Darmstadt 1-0 Fortuna Düsseldorf
Goals: 1-0 Pfeiffer (73')
The Lilies extended their incredible unbeaten run to ten games while victory over Fortuna was Torsten Lieberknecht's team's third in a row. The deadlock was finally broken in a tight encounter at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor in the 73rd minute when defender Patric Pfeiffer's downward header from skipper Fabian Holland's corner bounced in. The result keeps Paderborn in second place in the standings and on the coat tails of leaders Hamburg with eleven games played.
Hansa Rostock 0-3 Paderborn
Goals: 0-1 Schallenberg (19'), 0-2 Leipertz (80'), 0-3 Pieringer (88')
Paderborn bounced back from defeat at home to Darmstadt last time out and remain in touch with the second-division pacesetters thanks to this win at Rostock. Captain Ron Schallenberg's long-range opener rubber-stamped the visitors' early dominance but Lukas Kwasniok's side had to wait until the 80th minute to make the game safe, Robert Leipertz finishing off a counter-attacking move before Marvin Pieringer put the icing on the victory cake for the North Rhine-Westphalia based side.
Watch: Hansa Rostock 0-3 Paderborn - in 60 seconds!
Eintracht Braunschweig 2-1 St. Pauli
Goals: 0-1 Saliakas (68'), 1-1 (Pherai 78'), 2-1 Pherai (90'+4)
The hosts leapfrogged Pauli in the standings, inflicting upon the visitors a fourth loss of the season deep into injury time at Eintracht-Stadion. Eintracht went into this game on a four game unbeaten run that had seen them rise up the table in recent weeks. However, the Lions were left playing catch-up here when they went behind to Manolis Saliakas's snapshot on 68 minutes. Substitutes Luc Ihorst and Immanuel Pherai combined to bring the home side level before Pherai latched onto a throw in to net the winner from close range at the death.
Arminia Bielefeld 1-2 Karlsruhe
Goals: 0-1 Schleusener (43'), 1-1 Serra (52'), 1-2 Wanitzek (54')
Karlsruhe climbed into the promotion reckoning with a second successive victory after overcoming Bielefeld on Friday evening. Fabian Schleusener gave the visitors the lead shortly before half-time when he capitalised on a defensive error, but Bielefeld hit back early in the second half through Janni Serra’s eye-catching curler. Parity was short-lived, however, as Karlsruhe struck the winner with their next attack when Marvin Wanitzek’s deflected strike from distance nestled in at the near post to give KSC a fifth win of the season.
Jahn Regensburg 2-2 Greuther Fürth
Goals: 0-1 Michalski (34'), 1-1 Caliskaner (42'), 2-1 Caliskaner, 2-2 Asta (74')
Bundesliga 2 draw specialists Fürth shared the points for a league-leading sixth time this season on Friday evening. They took the lead against their Bavarian rivals through Damian Michalski, only for Kaan Caliskaner to level for the hosts a short while later. The 22-year-old struck again in the second half as Regensburg turned the game on its head, but there was a final twist in the closing stages when Fürth winger Julian Green’s cross picked out Simon Asta to equalise at the back post.
Heidenheim 2-1 Hannover
Goals: 1-0 Thomalla (32'), 2-0 Kleindienst (61'), 2-1 Teuchert (90'+2)
Looking to pull themselves to within just five points of Hamburg in top spot, Heidenheim were given the lead in stunning fashion thanks to Denis Thomalla. The Heidenheim midfielder robbed the ball from Max Besuschkow as Ron-Robert Zieler looked to play out from the back and, with the Hannover goalie stranded at the edge of his box, Thomalla lobbed a kindly bouncing ball over the away ‘keeper and into the back of the net to make it 1-0. After the interval, Tim Kleindienst added a second on the break to wrap up a victory that moved Heidenheim into fourth-place, despite Cedric Teuchert's late effort.
Nuremberg 2-3 Holstein Kiel
Goals: 1-0 Tempelmann (39’), 1-1 Skrzybski (62'), 1-2 Reese (66'), 1-3 Skrzybski (80'), 2-3 Daferner (90'+4)
The hosts flew out the traps and nearly had the lead inside the opening 10 minutes as Jens Castrop crafted an opening on the angle from the right, but his shot was well saved by the outstretched arm of visiting goalkeeper Thomas Dähne. Dähne couldn’t keep out Lino Tempelmann’s effort six minutes before the break, however, as the latter’s drive from outside the box burst through the hands of the Kiel ‘keeper. The visitors eventually found an equaliser with less than half an hour to play; Steven Skrzybski expertly controlling and firing home from close range. Moments later, they were in front, with Fabian Reese racing clear and applying the finishing touch before Skrzybski's second late on ensured Kiel left with the points. Christoph Daferner's injury-time effort was nothing more than a consolation.
Sandhausen 1-0 Magdeburg
Goals: 1-0 Kinsombi (75’)
Improving Magdeburg had won two of their last three matches ahead of their trip to Sandhausen, as the visitors looked for a first away win of the campaign. And they threatened first, with Baris Atik’s free-kick almost sneaking into the bottom corner but was well repelled by home ‘keeper Patrick Drewes. Sandhausen then crafted the clearest opening of the match on the hour mark as the ball was squared to Matej Pulkrab but he was denied at close range by Dominik Reimann, who flew off his line to deny the hosts’ No.9. Christian Kinsombi wasn’t to be denied with quarter of an hour remaining, though, as he jabbed through the legs of Reimann to earn his team victory.