2. Bundesliga: Honours even between KSC and Hertha

Hertha showed resilience in Karlsruhe, eventually salvaging a point from the Freundschaftsspiel thanks to a late Jeremy Dudziak equaliser after a breathless opening half had produced three goals.

The tone was set almost immediately when Deyo Zeefuik clattered into Marvin Wanitzek inside the opening minute, earning the game’s first yellow card. KSC capitalised on their bright start seven minutes in as Philipp Förster picked out Fabian Schleusener on the edge of the box, the striker firing low into the bottom corner for his eighth goal of the season.

Hertha responded well and were rewarded by the 20th minute. Kevin Sessa intercepted a loose pass and fed captain Fabian Reese, who surged into the area before smashing past Hans Christian Bernat to restore parity. The early drama continued, and barely five minutes later Karlsruhe struck again. A corner was cleared into the path of Sebastian Jung, who unleashed a superb effort into the top-left corner to send the home crowd into raptures and make it 2-1.

Hertha came agonisingly close to levelling just before the break when Luca Schuler broke clear and rounded Bernat, but the striker could only guide his effort wide, ensuring Karlsruhe took their slender advantage into half-time.

With Hertha chasing the game, Stefan Leitl’s side struggled to find rhythm early in the second half. Despite enjoying the bulk of possession, clear chances were at a premium, and KSC looked comfortable protecting their lead. However, with ten minutes remaining, the visitors finally found a way through. Reese once again proved decisive, slipping the ball through for Dudziak, who finished first time low through the defender’s legs and past Bernat.

Aside from an offside effort for Hertha deep into stoppage time, there were no further twists, and a classic 2. Bundesliga contest ended all square in Karlsruhe.

The result extends Christian Eichner’s side’s unbeaten run to two matches, leaving KSC in eighth place. For Hertha, it marks a fourth consecutive draw as they continue to search for a return to winning ways, sitting just one place above their hosts in seventh.