Draw in the Monday night game – Hertha and Cottbus play 2:2
On match day 23 of the second Bundesliga, Hertha BSC and Energie Cottbus played to a 2:2 draw in the Berlin-Brandenburg derby in front of 40.134 spectators at the Olympiastadion Berlin. Pierre-Michel Lasogga scored for Berlin (16.), before the guests were able to turn the tables and take a 2:1 lead with goals by Daniel Adlung (26.) and Uwe Hünemeier (35.). Just before the half, Roman Hubnik (40.) was able to equalize.
Hertha was able to build pressure right from the start. Just three minutes in, Adrian Ramos was able to play ahead to Lasogga, who was brought down by Alexander Bittroff in the penalty area. Referee Marco Fritz did not blow his whistle though. In the following minutes, all the guests could muster up was a 35 meter free-kick by Jiayi Shao, that was however easily saved by Hertha goalkeeper Maikel Aerts. On the other side, things were more successful. Ronny crossed the ball into the area in the 16th minute and Lasogga was able to get some separation from Hünemeier. He easily converted from near distance for the 1:0 lead (16.).
The excitement about the lead did not last long, however. Even though the team coached by Wollitz did not do much for the offensive attractiveness of the match, they were dangerous during the set piece plays. Exemplary for that was a corner by Marc-André Kruska, which hit Hubnik in the back of the head and gave Hünemeier a shot on goal. Aerts was able so save the initial shot, but the Dutch national was unable to secure the second attempt by Daniel Adlung – 1:1 (26.). Seven minutes later, Herthas goalkeeper was the center of attention again when he played a clearance directly to Emil Jula. The Romanian tried to heave the ball over Aerts, who ran back to the line and was able to get a last second clearance for a corner (33.).
Shortly thereafter Jula gave the assist on Cottbus’ second goal. Jula was able to extend a Daniel Ziebig corner to Hünemeier who was able to secure the 2:1 lead with his header from short distance (39.). The home team took the setback as a wake up call and did more on the offensive end. Nikita Rukavytsya sent Raffael, whose shot was blocked at the last second by Shao. Immediately after, Raffael was ready to shoot a free kick from the half field. Hünemeier was obstructing his own keeper Thorsten Kirschbaum, who let the ball spill right in front of Hubnik. The Czech national had no trouble converting for the 2:2 equalizer.
The second half saw the guests play with more ideas and investing more. Nils Petersen was able to get past Andre Mijatovic after 54 Minutes and took a shot from the right hand side, but could not get the ball past Hertha goalie Aerts. Shortly thereafter, Petersen tried again, but his shot went over the cross bar. (62.). More dangerous was Jula’s pass in the 67th minute: The ball went off the substitute Patrick Ebert and came straight to Adlung, whose shot went just past the right post (67.).
In the 80th minute it was Hünemeier who got to the ball after a free kick by Shao, but Aerts was able to hold the draw.
In the final minutes Adrian Ramos tried once more to force the decisive goal, when he tried to score on the Cottbus goal. Keeper Kirschbaum payed attention and was able to save (86.). The last chance of the match was triggered by a Christian Lell pass that Peter Niemeyer, was unable to convert because he leaned back a little too much. In the end it was a 2:2 draw that results in a two point lead for Hertha BSC over second place FC Augsburg.
Line up:
Hertha BSC: Aerts – Lell, Hubnik, Mijatovic, Kobiashvili – Niemeyer – Rukavytsya (59. Ebert), Raffael, Ronny (70. Lustenberger) – Ramos, Lasogga (84. Friend)
Energie Cottbus: Kirschbaum – Bittroff, Hünemeier, Brzenska, Ziebig – Shao (88. Reimerink), Kruska, Kurth (85. Roger), Adlung – Petersen (90. Sörensen), Jula
Goals: 1:0 Lasogga (16.), 1:1 Adlung (26.), 1:2 Hünemeier (36.), 2:2 Hubnik (40.)
Yellow Cards: Lell, Niemeyer – Adlung
Spectators: 40.134
Referee: Marco Fritz