(MENAFN- Gulf Times) A late equaliser from Erling Braut Haaland spared Borussia Dortmund's blushes yesterday as they drew 2-2 at home against Bundesliga rivals Hoffenheim. Haaland's 81st minute strike averted a fourth defeat in five Bundesliga games for crisis-hit Dortmund.
Yet even a draw leaves Dortmund three points adrift of the Champions League places in sixth, and heaps more pressure on interim coach Edin Terzic.
Dortmund have won just four of ten league games since Terzic took the reins from Lucien Favre in December, prompting growing speculation over his future.
England international Jadon Sancho gave Dortmund a perfect start, racing up the left-wing to score his fourth league goal this season on 24 minutes. The lead didn't last long, as Munas Dabbur scuffed a shot past Marwin Hitz to level just seven minutes later.
Ihlas Bebou bundled in Hoffenheim's second just after half-time, the ball bouncing off the Togolese and into the goal as Hitz tried to beat away a dangerous cross from the left wing. Haaland had a goal ruled out for offside in the second half before pouncing on a misplaced pass to snatch a crucial late equaliser.
Fellow Champions League hopefuls Bayer Leverkusen also dropped points after they conceded two late goals to draw 2-2 with strugglers Mainz. Lucas Alario tapped in a low Moussa Diaby cross to give Leverkusen the lead on 14 minutes.
Patrik Schick appeared to have sealed three points with a second on 84 minutes. Yet second-from-bottom Mainz were rewarded for a brave performance as late goals by Robert Glatzel and Kevin Stoeger saved a point and continued their recent revival under new coach Bo Svensson.
Elsewhere, Werder Bremen were held to a 0-0 draw at home to Freiburg while Sami Khedira helped rescue a 1-1 draw for Hertha Berlin against boyhood club Stuttgart.
Austrian striker Sasa Kalajdzic headed in his ninth goal of the season to give Stuttgart the lead at the end of a scrappy first half. Veteran midfielder Khedira came off the bench in the second-half and set up a late equaliser for 17-year-old Luca Netz to save the capital club from a fifth straight defeat.
On Friday night, RB Leipzig tuned up for their Champions League clash against Liverpool with a 2-1 home Bundesliga win over Augsburg amid reports defender Dayot Upamecano will join Bayern Munich next season. According to reports, Bayern will pay 43mn euros ($52mn) to activate the buy-out clause in the contract of Upamecano, an unused substitute against Augsburg.
Leipzig sports director Markus Kroesche insisted Upamecano was rested ahead of Tuesday's first leg against Liverpool which was switched to Budapest due to Germany's Covid-19 travel restrictions from the UK.
In sub-zero temperatures, Leipzig warmed up for Liverpool with goals by Dani Olmo and Christopher Nkunku giving them a 2-0 lead at half-time.
Second-placed Leipzig cut Bayern Munich's lead at the top of the Bundesliga table to four points. Bayern host Arminia Bielefeld tomorrow having beaten Mexican side Tigres on Thursday in the Club World Cup final in Qatar.
Bundesliga results
Borussia Dortmund 2 (Sancho 24, Haaland 81) Hoffenheim 2 (Dabbur 31, Bebou 51); Bayer Leverkusen 2 (Alario 14, Schick 84) Mainz 2 (Glatzel 89, Stoeger 90+2); Werder Bremen 0 Freiburg 0; Stuttgart 1 (Kalajdzic 45+1) Hertha Berlin 1 (Netz 82)
Playing today (times GMT): Eintracht Frankfurt v Cologne (1430), VfL Wolfsburg v Borussia Moenchengladbach (1700)
Played Friday: RB Leipzig 2 (Olmo 38-penalty, Nkunku 43) Augsburg 1 (Caligiuri 77-pen)
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