Last gasp equaliser steals the points from 1899

Ralf Rangnick was forced into changes after the German Football Association (DFL) upheld the two-match ban given to Isaac Vorsah for his red card against VfB Stuttgart. Luiz Gustavo was the player to slot in alongside Marvin Compper, while Gylfi Sigurdsson filled the gap in midfield.

Goalless dominance in the first half

Ahead of the Saturday afternoon kick-off Nürnberg were on a four game losing streak and the goal for Rangnick was simple: "We're playing for the win". The principle was not lost on his players who put their opponents under pressure from the very first whistle. Demba Ba and Ibisevic were spearheading Hoffenheim's efforts to test FCN keeper Raphael Schäfer. Then in the 7th minute there were several controversial decisions that will have disappointed the home side. Boris Vukcevic burst into the box down the right and was brought down, referee Marc Seemann waved play on, only to deny Hoffenheim two more penalties shortly after. Surely one of the three challenges was worthy of a decision. Hoffenheim continued to press with Vukcevic and Demba Ba who were enjoying themselves on the right hand side. Crosses were flying into the box and on one occasion Schäfer had to react quickly to cut out a drilled ball that was heading towards the front post. The Club, as Nürnberg are affectionately known, could only concentrate on defending their own goal as they were unable to build anything going forward. Juri Judt was the player standing resolute for the visitors as he was on hand to clear a goal bound header off the line in the 11th minute.

After a fast paced start, the game began to tail off somewhat and the next opportunity fell to Vedad Ibisevic 26 minutes later; however, instead of shooting the striker took too many touches on the chance was gone. He couldn't do any better with his next effort either as the Bosnian wasted the opportunity in almost the exact same fashion. It was another first half that Hoffenheim dominated without finding the back of the net.

1899 let lead slip in the dying moments

The second half started in the same fashion the first ended in, with Hoffenheim carving their opponents open with ease. Salihovic had began to take over in midfield and it was his pull back that found Demba Ba inside the Nürnberg area, unfortunately the Senegalese striker could only find the back of the safety net behind the goal with his effort. With the homes side knocking on the door it seemed only a matter of time before they found the breakthrough and in the 55th minute the men from Kraichgau duly delivered. After great work by Vukcevic to win a corner, Salihovic delivered a wonderful ball into the box and Marvin Compper climbed above everyone to head his side into the lead. It was a deserved lead, but instead of pressing forward, the home side took their foot of the pedal. However, they were still creating the chances on the counter and second half substitute Peniel Mlapa should have made it 2-0, but he couldn't control the rebound after Demba Ba's shot had been blocked firing narrowly over the bar. The normally reliable Gylfi Sigurdsson was the next to pass up the chance to extend the lead. Vukcevic again with fantastic work on the flanks found the Icelandic international with a near perfect ball, only for the midfielder to slice his shot just wide of the post.

The home side continued to create chances with Salihovic and Vukcevic creating but were again unable to convert any of their chances. Their inability to finish a game off has cost them in the past and it went the same way again on Saturday. Despite controlling the match from start to finish it only took one tiny lapse in concentration at the back and Nürnberg found their way to an equaliser. Mehmet Ekici slid a fantastic pass into the path of Christian Eigler in the 89th minute and the striker gave Haas no chance in goal as he stroked the ball past the stand-in keeper. It was another disappointing end to a match for 1899 Hoffenheim as the resulted was more than flattering for the away side.

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