BERLIN, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Relegation threatened Fortuna Dusseldorf squandered a three-goal lead and shared the spoils with Hertha Berlin at the opener of the 24th round in Bundesliga on Friday.
Fortuna established a three-goal lead in the first half by courtesy on Kenan Karaman's brace but it wasn't enough as Hertha Berlin rallied back and scored three second-goals to snatch one point on the road.
The "Fortunen" caught a perfect start in front of home crowd as they needed only six minutes to break the deadlock after Karaman nutmegged Hertha goalkeeper Thomas Kraft from sharp angle.
Dusseldorf gained momentum and pressed Hertha on the back foot that is why the hosts were able to double their advantage four minutes later after Erik Thommy curled the ball past Kraft.
The visitors were unable to put up resistance in the first half as Karaman wrapped up his brace in the dying seconds of the first 45 minutes. It looked like Dusseldorf had sealed the deal ahead of schedule.
Hertha however turned up in the second half meanwhile Fortuna kept all their men behind the ball to protect the lead.
The host's strategy didn't work out as Hertha reduced the arrears with great assistance of Thommy, who cleared the ball into the wrong goal in the 64th minute.
Dusseldorf wobbled and Hertha sparked to life as the visitors made it 3-2 on the scoreboards only two minutes later when Matheus Cunha hammer from 20 meters found the back of the net.
In the 75th minute, things went from bad to worse for the hosts as Hertha restored parity. Fortuna goalkeeper Florian Kastenmeier brought down Krzysztof Piatek inside the box and allowed the new arrival to score his first goal for Hertha after making no mistake from the penalty spot.
The capital club had even the chance to grab a late win but Cunha's effort rattled only the woodwork in the closing stages.
With the result, Hertha Berlin climb to the 13th position for the moment whereas Fortuna Dusseldorf stay on the 16th place, which is a relegation play off spot.
The following matches are scheduled for Saturday: third placed Borussia Dortmund host Freiburg, Mainz see last placed Paderborn, Augsburg face Borussia Monchengladbach, Hoffenheim clash with front runners Bayern Munich and newly promoted Cologne encounter Schalke.
