Leverkusen brings on 16-year-olds to earn 1-1 draw at Hertha

BERLIN (AP) — Bayer Leverkusen brought on two 16-year-olds and came from behind with a last-minute goal from Robert Andrich to snatch a 1-1 draw at Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga on Sunday.

Spanish forward Iker Bravo became the second-youngest player to appear in the Bundesliga — after Borussia Dortmund’s Youssoufa Moukoko — when he came on in the 79th minute, only to become the third-youngest when Danish midfielder Zidan Sertdemir came on in the 86th. Sertdemir is 16 years and 276 days old, 22 days younger than Bravo. Moukoko was 16 and a day when he made his league debut.

Hertha looked set to claim its fifth league win of the season through Stevan Jovetic’s goal before the break, but the home team’s players slumped on the field after Andrich’s last-gasp equalizer. The Leverkusen midfielder chipped over the goalkeeper after Hertha failed to clear a free kick and wasted several good counterattacking opportunities.

Andrich previously played for Hertha’s city rival Union Berlin and was sent off on his previous appearance at Olympiastadion in the derby.

“I myself played soccer for a long time and know for such a game you have to score the second goal,” said coach Pál Dárdai, who made a Hertha record 286 Bundesliga appearances as a player.

Leverkusen’s winless streak in the league stretched to four games since the 5-1 loss at home to Bayern Munich on Oct. 17, but Gerardo Seoane’s side is hard-hit by injuries. Florian Wirtz was the latest to drop out after Thursday’s 4-0 win over Real Betis in the Europa League.

UNION’S REGRET

Union also conceded late to let a potential win slip away as Anthony Modeste scored twice to earn a 2-2 draw for hosts Cologne.

Julian Ryerson and Grischa Prömel’s first-half goals — after Modeste’s early goal — had put Union on course for its fifth win in five Bundesliga games altogether against Cologne.

Union could have moved fourth – the last qualification place for the Champions League – but Modeste struck again in the 86th to leave another capital club disappointed.

MORE LATE DRAMA

There were more goals and drama in injury time than in the 90 minutes of regular time as Eintracht Frankfurt won 2-1 at Greuther Fürth in the last game before the international break.

Cedric Itten wheeled away in delight after scoring Fürth’s equalizer in the second minute of injury time, only for Rafael Santos Borré to nab the visitors’ winner in the fourth. It was the third consecutive game in which Frankfurt scored in injury time.

Fürth was the better team for much of the first half, but lacked the cutting edge to score. Frankfurt substitute Sebastian Rode showed the home side how to do it in the second half with a 75th-minute opener.

Fürth remains last with one point – a Bundesliga record after 11 games.

Nine-time defending Bayern Munich stretched its lead to four points on Saturday.