Piatek penalty denies 10-man RB Leipzig victory
RB Leipzig missed the chance to move second in the Bundesliga and take a big step towards Champions League qualification after being to a 2-2 draw at home to Hertha BSC.
Top-four rivals Borussia Dortmund, Borussia Monchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen all dropped points, but 10-man Leipzig could not capitalise 24 hours later.
Julian Nagelsmann's side trailed to Marko Grujic's early strike, although goals from Lukas Klostermann and Patrik Schick – the latter aided by an awful Rune Jarstein error – looked to have clinched a hard-fought victory.
However, Leipzig had seen Marcel Halstenberg sent off prior to Schick's strike, and Hertha substitute Krzysztof Piatek converted a late penalty to earn a share of the spoils.
The visitor remains unbeaten under new manager Bruno Labbadia, with its relegation fears behind it, but third-placed Leipzig has work to do to secure a return to the Champions League, where it has reached the quarter-finals this season.
Just four points separate Dortmund in second and Leverkusen in fifth after a tough weekend for the European chasers, with leader Bayern Munich comfortably seven points clear at the top.
Hertha was good value for its point and a lively start produced the opener after just nine minutes as Grujic met Marvin Plattenhardt's left-wing corner full on the volley eight yards from goal, beating the helpless Peter Gulacsi.
A set-piece at the other end saw Leipzig level 15 minutes later, though, with Klostermann darting towards Christopher Nkunku's near-post delivery and nodding across Jarstein into the bottom-left corner.
Captain Vedad Ibisevic could have restored Hertha's lead but blazed over the crossbar when a move down the right cut Leipzig open late in the first half.
Goalmouth action was scarce following the restart, and Leipzig's hopes of victory looked to have been dealt a sizeable blow as Halstenberg earned a second booking for a foul on former team-mate Matheus Cunha.
But Jarstein failed to gather Schick's powerful drive and the ball squirmed over the line, seemingly taking the match away from Hertha.
Ademola Lookman felled Cunha inside the area, however, and Piatek kept his cool from 12 yards to pick out the bottom-left corner and set up a frantic finish in which Labbadia's side could not force a winner.
