2. Bundesliga: Braunschweig salvage a point against ten-men Hertha

2. Bundesliga: Braunschweig salvage a point against ten-men Hertha

Hertha looked set to claim all three after captain Fabian Reese gave them an early lead, but the game turned on its head following Kennet Eichhorn’s second-half dismissal. Braunschweig made their extra man count, as Max Marie struck 13 minutes from time to level proceedings.

The visitors made a bright start and were handed a golden opportunity inside the opening 10 minutes when Ron-Thorben Hoffmann brought down Luca Schuler in the penalty area. Reese stepped up to take the spot kick, and although his initial effort was saved by Hoffmann, the Hertha skipper reacted quickest to convert the rebound and put his side ahead.

Hertha continued to threaten and could have doubled their lead before the break. Reese remained a constant danger, while Schuler struck the woodwork midway through the first half after a well-worked move.

Braunschweig, however, grew into the contest late in the first period. A series of corners caused problems for the visitors, but Tjark Ernst produced a string of impressive saves to preserve Hertha’s narrow advantage heading into half-time.

The hosts emerged with renewed intensity after the interval, pushing Hertha deeper and creating opportunities of their own. Jovan Mijatović and Lino Tempelmann both went close as Braunschweig searched for an equaliser.

Despite being under pressure, Hertha still carried a threat on the counter. Schuler came within inches of doubling the lead when he broke through on goal, only to see his effort crash off the crossbar. Ernst was then called into action again, producing an excellent save to deny Mijatović from close range.

The decisive moment arrived in the 71st minute when Eichhorn was shown a straight red card following a VAR review for a reckless challenge. Braunschweig quickly took advantage of their numerical superiority, and just seven minutes later they found their equaliser.