Ramos seals Hertha win in Hoffenheim
Sinsheim - Hertha Berlin threw away a two-goal lead, but scored a late winner to beat 1899 Hoffenheim 3-2 at the Wirsol Rhein-Neckar Arena.
Tunisian delight
Adrian Ramos did superbly to create the opening goal for Anis Ben-Hatira, and the Colombian slotted home a penalty to make it 2-0 at the start of the second-half. Two Sejad Salihovic set-pieces brought Hoffenheim back into it, but Ramos' late header secured the points for Berlin.
Hertha Berlin coach Jos Luhukay restored Sami Allagui to his starting line-up after two successive defeats, and the decision almost paid dividends as the Tunisian struck inches wide within three minutes of the starting whistle. It was his compatriot who broke the deadlock ten minutes later, when Ben-Hatira supplied an emphatic finish to Ramos’ powerful run and low cross.
Hoffenheim almost hit back moments later when Anthony Modeste was denied by an excellent covering tackle from Fabian Lustenberger, and the hosts began to dominate possession but carved out no clear-cut openings. Salihovic almost made the most of a 30-yard free-kick, drawing a good save from Thomas Kraft ten minutes before the break.
Ramos seals it
Fabian Johnson, brought on after half-time, was teed up by Kevin Volland and almost found an equaliser three minutes into the second-half, but as it was, the next goal was struck at the other end. Ramos nonchalantly converted his first ever penalty for Hertha, and sixth goal of the season, in the 53rd minute.
The hosts weren’t going to go down without a fight, however. They were awarded a penalty of their own, converted in just as cool a fashion by Salihovic to make it 2-1, and piled on the late pressure, rewarded when the Bosnian bent in an excellent free-kick for his brace with ten minutes remaining. Spirited the revival may have been, but enough it was not, as Ramos smuggled three points back to Berlin with a clinical late header.
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