SINSHEIM: Andrej Kramaric scored in the final minute of regular time to snatch Hoffenheim a 1-1 draw at home to 10-man RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga on Friday.

Leipzig spent most of the match in front after Benjamin Sesko’s 38th-minute header from a cross from Germany winger David Raum gave him a goal for the fifth match in a row.

Paris St-Germain loanee Xavi Simons picked up a yellow card with 10 minutes gone in the second-half for playing on after he handballed. He picked up a second yellow just 17 minutes later for a challenge on Anton Stach and saw red.

With the clock winding down, Hoffenheim pushed and made their numerical advantage count when Kramaric turned in Marius Buelter’s cross on the 90-minute mark.

The late goal cost Leipzig third spot, with Marco Rose’s side now one point behind Stuttgart, who face second-placed Bayern Munich.

“It’s a pity when a goal comes so late,” said Leipzig sporting director Rouven Schroeder. “It’s a deserved draw, but we’ve still got a chance for third place.”

Despite the disappointment, Leipzig are guaranteed to play Champions League next season.

The strong performances of Bayern, Borussia Dortmund and league champions Bayer Leverkusen in Europe this season meant Germany took a fifth spot in the competition ahead of England and France.

Hoffenheim’s point sends them seventh, keeping the side on track for European football next season for the first time since 2019.

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2024