Bundesliga
Vincenzo Grifo kept Freiburg's fading European hopes alive as he cancelled out Andrej Kramaric's opener to earn a 1-1 draw against Hoffenheim at the Schwarzwald-Stadion.
Freiburg 1-1 Hoffenheim
Goals: 0-1 Kramaric (40'), 1-1 Grifo (pen. 82')
Florian Müller could not quite reach Robert Skov's dipping shot, and the Freiburg goalkeeper was glad to see it come back off the crossbar as Hoffenheim seized the early initiative. A good cross from Pavel Kaderabek gave Florian Grillitsch the next opportunity for the guests, but he did not make the best of connections on the volley and the ball deflected behind for a corner. Müller made a good save from Kramaric to force a second consecutive corner for the guests, who were gaining the upper hand in all but the scoreline. That changed five minutes before the break when Ihlas Bebou powered his way down the right and cut a cross back from the goal line for Kramaric to nod in at the far post.
Freiburg had the ball in the back of the net early in the second half, but the offside flag cut short their celebrations, though it was clear Christian Streich had found the right words with his half-time team-talk. Midway through the second half, Streich made a triple substitution with Grifo among the newcomers, and just moments later, Ermedin Demirovic was denied with Freiburg's best chance of the match, which Oliver Baumann instinctively tipped over the crossbar. Demirovic earned Freiburg a penalty when he was kicked in the calf by Kevin Vogt, and Grifo stepped up with the chance to end his 12-game wait for a goal, which he took emphatically. It was only worth a point, but that could still prove precious when they are all added up next month, with UEFA Europa League qualification still possible for Streich's men.
Freiburg: Müller - Lienhart, Schlotterbeck (Gulde 68'), Heintz - Schmid, Keitel (Tempelmann 68'), Höfler, Günter (c) - Sallai (Grifo 68'), Demirovic (Jeong 90'+1), Höler (Petersen 76')
Unused subs: Uphoff,, Kübler, Haberer, Kwon
Out: Santamaria (suspended)
Coach: Christian Streich
Hoffenheim: Baumann (c) - Posch (Nordtveit 46'), Grillitsch, Richards (Vogt 76'), Sessegnon - Kaderabek, Samassekou, Skov (Rutter 61') - Kramaric - Bebou, Adamyan (Baumgartner 61')
Unused subs: Pentke, Dabbur, Belfodil, Bogarde
Out: Akpoguma (knock), Bicakcic (knee), Gacinovic (ankle), Geiger (hamstring), Hübner (ankle), John (foot), Rudy (knock), Stafylidis (shoulder)
Coach: Sebastian Hoeneß