RB Leipzig vs Hertha Berlin. German Bundesliga.
Red Bull Arena.
Report as 10-man RB Leipzig held for the 10th time this season
Thursday 28 May 2020 06:03, UK
Krzysztof Piatek's late penalty secured Hertha Berlin a hard-fought 2-2 draw as 10-man RB Leipzig missed the chance to move up to second in the Bundesliga.
With the scores level at 1-1 after Marko Grujic's opener for Hertha was cancelled out by Lukas Klostermann, the game appeared to swing in the visitors' favour when Leipzig defender Marcel Halstenberg was sent off for two bookable offences midway through the second half.
But a howler from Hertha goalkeeper Rune Jarstein looked to have handed Leipzig all three points when Patrik Schick's strike squirmed into the back of the net five minutes after Halstenberg's dismissal.
But Hertha made the numerical advantage count as Matheus Cunha was brought down in the box by Ademola Lookman, allowing Piatek to continue the Berlin club's resurgence under Bruno Labbadia with the equaliser eight minutes from time.
The draw - Leipzig's 10th in the Bundesliga this season - puts any lingering title aspirations to bed for Julian Nagelsmann's side, who remain third in the table, while Hertha stay 11th after extending their unbeaten run to five games.
After their five-goal demolition of Mainz on Sunday, Leipzig started brightly as they set about securing their first league win at home since February 15, with Konrad Laimer drilling the first attempt on target straight at Jarstein in the Hertha Berlin goal.
But with spirits high following their 4-0 derby win over Union Berlin, Hertha were in no mood to roll over, and they broke the deadlock inside nine minutes.
Marvin Plattenhardt's inch-perfect corner found Grujic unmarked in the Leipzig box, and the on-loan Liverpool forward opened his body up brilliantly to turn the opener home from six yards.
It proved to be Plattenhardt's last involvement as a head injury forced him off immediately after, typifying the fierce competitive nature of the contest.
And Leipzig rallied on 24 minutes, hauling themselves level against the run of play as Klostermann stooped to head Christopher Nkunku's corner into the far corner.
With focal point Yussuf Poulsen and midfield creator Kevin Kampl out injured, Leipzig struggled to settle into an attacking rhythm in the face of robust Hertha defending, and their cause took a dent on 63 minutes when Halstenberg was given his marching orders for a cynical trip on Cunha.
But out of nowhere, the 10 men took a surprise lead when Schick's fizzing drive was inadvertently bundled over his own line by Hertha goalkeeper Jarstein after appearing to save the initial effort.
But having played a hand in Halstenberg's dismissal, the mercurial Cunha lead the fightback, drawing a rash foul from former Everton winger Lookman, and Paitak held his nerve to ensure Hertha returned to Berlin with a point that effectively ends the remnants of Leipzig's title hopes.
As performances go against your former club, they don't come much better than this. Cunha was a constant thorn in the side of the Leipzig defence. The Brazilian proved too tricky for Halstenberg to handle before he was sent off, and then won the penalty which allowed Piatek to earn a point. Had it not been for Jarstein's howler, he would have been the driving force behind a Hertha victory, although his performance alone gave his former boss Nagelsmann plenty of food for thought.
Hertha Berlin host Augsburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday at 2.30pm, while Leipzig travel to Koln on Monday at 7.30pm.
