Hoffenheim 1-1 FC Kaiserslautern - a fair result

For the first time this season, Hoffenheim manager Holger Stanislawski couldn't pick captain Andreas Beck, who failed a late fitness test. Austrian international Andreas Ibertsberger came in to replace him in the right side of defence, his first Bundesliga appearance of the season incidentally. Also returning to the first team after lengthy injury absences were Sejad Salihovic and Sebastian Rudy.

The game got off to a slow start. Both sides looked lethargic in possession and found it hard to string any passing moves together. It was the away side, however, which created the first reasonable opportunities of the game. First, Christian Tiffert and then Dorge Kouhemaha both found shooting space, but their efforts were blocked by some good Hoffenheim challenges. At the other end, Hoffenheim registered their first shot on goal when Sebastian Rudy's free-kick went narrowly off target (12). Kaiserslautern seemed content to soak up pressure and then hit Hoffenheim on the break, which Holger Stanislawski had alluded to in his pre-match press conference. Racing up the pitch, Kaiserslautern moved the ball around until it reached Olcay Sahan, but he missed Tom Starke's goal with a wild finish.

Scrappy opening half

1899 were having difficult maintaining possession of the ball, and they were constantly put on the back foot due to the speed of Kaiserslautern's attacking play. The home side's back line, especially Edson Braafheid and Marvin Commper, had to make a number of crucial interceptions to keep Tom Starke's goal from coming under attack. At the other end though, they did soon come closest to breaking the deadlock on 26 minutes. After Chinedu Obasi was fouled, the referee gave a free-kick, which Sejad Salihovic slammed against the crossbar. It was a wake-up call for Lautern, who up until that point hadn't looked troubled at the back.

Just after the half-hour mark, the home side took the lead. After some good interplay between Rudy, Salihovic and Ryan Babel, the ball found its way to Braafheid, whose driven cross into the danger area was diverted home by Vedad Ibisevic (33). The Bosnian had been a peripheral figure up until then, but it was his third goal in three games since returning from injury. The rest of the half was peppered with some shots from range by both teams, but Hoffenheim went into the dressing room at half-time 1-0 to the good.

The second half began with no changes made to either side, but it was a forgettable opening period for the fans. Neither side seemed to be able to keep possession for more than a few passes. In the 60th minute, Stanislawski made his first substitution of the game by bringing on Daniel Williams for Obasi, looking to shore up the midfield. The substitution nearly had an instant impact, as Ibisevic came close to doubling the home side's lead, but his touch was heavy when he was played in, and the chance was gone.

Wonder goal to equalise

Kaiserslautern manager Marco Kurz changed things up by bringing in strikers Itay Shechter and Richard Sukuta Pasu for Pierre de Wit and Sahan, and soon his team were throwing everything at the Hoffenheim defence in an attempt to force an equaliser. the substitutions gave FCK a new lease of life in the match, and a deserved equaliser arrived on 73 minutes. Sukuta Pasu laid the ball off to Kouemaha with a neat touch on his chest, and the midfielder struck a superb volley past Starke, leaving the Hoffenheim keeper with no chance.

A deserved draw

Despite the lack of quality football on show, the game remained as hectic as ever, with yellow cards being dished out for both sides. Johnson and Ibertsberger both went into the referee's book, while Alexander Bugera met the same fate after a rash tackle on Salihovic. both sides were giving everything to take the tree points, but it was the home side that came closest. Rudy's effort from distance cleared the cross-bar by a metre, while Roberto Firmino and Ryan Babel missed the target in the dying minutes.

Firmino was booked late on for a dive, and it was an apt reflection of the game itself. Neither side really deserved to win the game. Holger Stanislawski will want to put this performance behind him for the next game away to Hamburg after the international break.

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