Hamburg, Bremen drawn in Bundesliga leaders pursuit
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German soccer powerhouses Hamburg and Werder Bremen lost chance to catch up with Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen when they were both forced to one-point draw on Sunday.
Hamburg was tied by Hannover 2-2 in an away derby, while the clash between Bremen and Dortmund ended up with a 1-1 draw. Both team ended up with 23 points, three points shy of Bundesliga leaders Leverkusen. If they won Sunday's games, they could have narrowed the gap with Leverkusen to one point.
Bottom team Hertha Berlin dropped into deeper abyss when they lost against Koeln 1-0 at the Berlin Olympia stadium.
Goals from defender Marcell Jansen and midfielder Eljero Elia in the first half were enough to give Hamburg the lead after 45 minutes, despite Ya Konan's goal for the hosts in the 26th minute. However, a late penalty from Hannover striker Jiri Stajner made sure both sides came away from the AWD arena with a point.
Hamburgs defender Marcell Jansen opened the scoring at the 15th minute. Midfielder Eljero Elia assisted Jansen who hammered in from central position. Hannover remained unimaginative after deficit, while Hamburg defended deep.
With 28 minutes played, Hannover striker Didier Ya Konan equalized. Ya Konan headed home from near post unmarked, after a corner pass from defender Constant Djakpa. Five minutes later Hamburg with a good scoring opportunity midfielder Ze Roberto headed into path of youngster striker Tunay Torun, but he fired the shot just wide.
Minutes before break both teams staged poor passes in forward movement. At the 44th minute Hamburg again took the lead. Midfielder Eljero Elia headed home a dead ball cross from midfielder Piotr Trochowski.
After the break Hamburg piled on the pressure and pressed Hannover into defense. Hamburgs youngster Tunay Torun braked through defense and hit the bar, Eljero Elia's follow-up shot was saved by Hannover goalie Robert Enke. With 78th minutes played midfielder Ze Roberto had the opportunity to extend the lead but goalie Robert Enke denied his attempt.
Two minutes before final whistle Hannover striker Jiri Stajner converted a penalty after Hamburg's midfielder Tomas Rincon tugged Stajners shirt inside penalty area.
In The dying minutes of the game Hamburg's coach Bruno Labbadiawent wild after penalty and was sent on terrace by referee Jochen Drees. With this last minute draw, Hamburg remained in third place with 23 points, while Hannover climbed from 11th to 10th.
The match among Werder Bremen and Borussia Dortmund started evenly balanced. Bremens offensive build up remained harmless while Dortmund defense was well organized.
The match was riddled with misplaced passes on both sides. After 36th minute Bremens midfielder Mesut Oezil opened the scoring. Oezil volleyed home inside penalty area into top right corner, after striker Aaron Hunt's cross passed into penalty area. Seconds before break, Bremens goalkeeper Tim Wiese had to shove a free kick by Nuri Sahin over the bar.
After the break at the 53rd minute, striker Lucas Barrios marked the equalizer but referee Manuel Graefe saw an offside position. Only one minute later striker Lucas Barrios scored. Striker Nelson Valdez's shot was spilled by goalie Tim Wiese, Barrios slotted in the follow-up shot.
Borussia Dortmuns climbed from 10th to 9th position, while Bremen remained in second place of standings.
Elsewhere on Sunday, gloomy Hertha Berlin was beaten again at home by Bundesliga newcomers Koeln 0-1. Koeln striker Milivoje Novakovic headed the sole goal in the 79th minute thanks to a freekick from German international striker Lukas Podolski.
Hertha Berlin remained in last position of Bundesliga table, while Koeln jumped from 15th to 13th.
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