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Coronavirus: Lacklustre Leipzig throw win away

Leipzig striker Patrik Schick giving his team a 2-1 lead they would later give up by conceding a penalty to Hertha Berlin. Leipzig fell to nine points off leaders Bayern Munich's pace.
Leipzig striker Patrik Schick giving his team a 2-1 lead they would later give up by conceding a penalty to Hertha Berlin. Leipzig fell to nine points off leaders Bayern Munich's pace. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

LEIPZIG • Coach Julian Nagelsmann slammed RB Leipzig for defending like "a school team" in Wednesday night's 2-2 home draw with Hertha Berlin which cost them the chance to go second in the German Bundesliga.

Krzysztof Piatek equalised with a late penalty to save the blushes of Hertha goalkeeper Rune Jarstein, who made a blunder for the hosts' second goal - bundled home by Patrik Schick in the 68th minute.

Nagelsmann was, however, furious that Leipzig conceded a weak goal from a corner with only nine minutes played when Marko Grujic, on loan from Liverpool, fired home unmarked for the opener in the match played behind closed doors.

Lukas Klostermann equalised 15 minutes later. But after Schick's strike, the hosts could not score a third goal, a task made more difficult after they were reduced to 10 men after Marcel Halstenberg was sent off for a second bookable offence 27 minutes from time.

Nagelsmann cut a frustrated figure after the full-time whistle, with Leipzig's title hopes hanging by a thread. They are now nine points behind leaders Bayern Munich (64) with six games to play.

He said: "We started well, but fell behind because we defend a set piece like a school team.

"We simply did nothing, everyone is standing in position, yet he (Grujic) could finish with his foot, in the box.

"This is the second time in a row in a home game that we conceded from a set piece (they drew 1-1 with Freiburg a fortnight ago).

"We have to blame ourselves for this. We're happy that we scored another point, but I'm not happy at all.

"Today it (three points) was on a silver platter and we didn't take it."

In the other games, Schalke's free fall continued with a 2-1 away defeat by relegation-threatened Fortuna Dusseldorf, leaving them winless in 10 league games. The visitors' third straight loss leaves them in ninth place, having been third in December.

Cologne lost 3-1 at Hoffenheim, a game that saw a player sent off for each side, while bottom side Paderborn fought to a goalless draw at Augsburg. Union Berlin drew 1-1 with Mainz at home.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 29, 2020, with the headline Coronavirus: Lacklustre Leipzig throw win away. Subscribe