BERLIN: Julian Nagelsman slammed 10-man RB Leipzig for defending like “a school team” in Wednesday’s 2-2 draw at home to Hertha Berlin behind closed doors which cost them the chance to go second in the Bundesliga.

Hertha forward Krzysztof Piatek equalised with a late penalty to seal the draw and save the blushes of goalkeeper Rune Jarstein who had made a blunder for Leipzig’s second goal.

However, Nagelsmann was furious that Leipzig conceded a weak goal from a corner with only nine minutes gone when Hertha midfielder Marko Grujic, on loan from Liverpool, fired home unmarked.

“We started well, but fell behind because we defend a set piece like a school team,” fumed Nagelsmann. “We simply did nothing, everyone is standing in position, yet he [Grujic] could finish with his foot, in the box.

“This is the second time in a row in a home game that we conceded from a set piece,” said Nagelsmann whose team drew 1-1 against Freiburg in their last home game. “We have to blame ourselves for this. We’re happy that we scored another point, but I’m not happy at all.”

Piatek, who joined Hertha in January for around 25 million euros ($27 million) from AC Milan, netted his second goal in nine Bundesliga matches when he fired home a penalty on 82 minutes.

Piatek’s penalty snatched a point, stretched Bruno Labbadia’s unbeaten record as Hertha head coach to three games and spared the blushes of Jarstein.

The Norwegian shot-stopper was embarrassed when he parried an effort by Leipzig striker Patrik Schick but allowed the ball to roll over his flailing arm and into his net to make it 2-1 on 68 minutes.

Leipzig had just been reduced to 10 men when defender Marcel Halstenberg was sent off for a second yellow card after a late foul on Brazil Under-23 striker Cunha, who was playing against the club he left in January.

The first-half finished 1-1 after Hertha took an early lead when Grujic volleyed into the top corner with nine minutes gone.

The hosts fought back and equalised when defender Lukas Klostermann headed home a corner with 24 minutes gone.

The result leaves Leipzig third in the table, two points behind Dortmund, beaten 1-0 on Tuesday by leaders Bayern Munich who are seven points clear and on course for an eighth straight German league title.

“Today it [three points] was on a silver platter and we didn’t take it,” added Nagelsmann.

The game was played amid the Bundesliga’s tight controls against the coronavirus with no fans present to reduce the risk of contributing to the outbreak.

The league was only given permission to resume on May 16 after promising to enforce strict measures against the virus through the end of the season.

The sight of substitutes and non-playing team officials wearing face masks, and balls and seats being disinfected, has become commonplace in the league during the three rounds since it resumed.

SCHALKE SLUMP AGAIN

Schalke 04 are winless in ten games as their free fall down the table continued with a 2-1 defeat at relegation-threatened Fortuna Duesseldorf.

US midfielder Weston McKennie gave Schalke the lead just after the break with a diving header, but Fortuna hit back with two goals in five minutes from Rouwen Hennings and Kenan Karaman.

Schalke’s third straight defeat leaves them ninth, five points below VfL Wolfsburg in the last place for European qualification..

Cologne striker Mark Uth failed to convert a penalty for the second game in a row in his side’s 3-1 defeat at Hoffenheim as both teams finished with ten men.

Austria midfielder Christoph Baumgartner could have finished with a hat-trick after opening the scoring early on, had a goal ruled offside then scored with a header just after the break.

Cologne were reduced to 10 men when Belgian defender Sebastian Bornauw was shown a straight red for fouling Baumgartner, who set up defender Steven Zuber to leave Hoffenheim 3-0 up early in the second-half.

Hoffenheim had defender Benjamin Huebner sent off for a second yellow card on 51 minutes before Florian Kainz gave Cologne hope with a goal on the hour mark.

Uth, who also had a penalty saved in Sunday’s draw with Duesseldorf, had his spot-kick saved on 77 minutes when Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann guessed the right corner.

Bottom side Paderborn earned a point in a goalless draw at Augsburg, while mid-table Union Berlin held on with 10 men to draw 1-1 against visiting Mainz 05.

Published in Dawn, May 29th, 2020