Dimitrij Nazarov's last-gasp goal secured a 2-2 draw for Erzgebirge Aue against Hannover 96, with Waldemar Anton, Pascal Köpke and Martin Harnik scoring before that.
Team news
Domenico Tedesco's Violets were keen to bounce back from his first defeat in his short reign as head coach at 1. FC Nürnberg last weekend. In order to try and shift things into a positive mindset, he made two changes. That saw Philipp Reise and Clemens Fandrich come into the side for Louis Samson and Nicky Adler.
As for André Breitenreiter and his Hannover side, they just wanted to keep the good form going after a 1-0 derby win over Eintracht Braunschweig last time out. Marvin Bakalorz - Sebastian Maier
Goals traded before the break
The game was just a few minutes old when the breakthrough came, and it was the promotion chasers who got it. Edgar Prib's free-kick towards the back post was a tempting delivery, and it was no real shock that it produced a goal. Anton's header was as powerful as his run, and it found the top corner from six yards out to open the scoring.
Aue came back at Hannover as if they hadn't conceded, and were very keen to push on for an immediate equaliser. They were happy to come forward and almost got level when a Mario Kvesic shot was spilled by Philipp Tschauner. The ball dropped to Köpke who had the entire net to aim at, but his low effort was denied by Tschauner's leg.
Hannover calmed slightly after that and had a similar spell to that of Aue, although they couldn't force a meaningful move from all that possession. For their efforts, it wasn't the Reds but instead the hosts who would get on the scoresheet. Fandrich's ball over the top was into Köpke's path perfectly, and he rounded Tschauner to slot home in style.
Nazarov strikes at the death to secure a draw
The second half saw Iver Fossum brought off the bench to replace Maier, and Breitenreiter's decision paid dividends to open up an otherwise tight and tense half. The Norwegian's ball over the top of the Aue defence was similar to Fandrich's in the first half. He picked out Niclas Füllkrug and the attacker crossed for Harnik to hammer home.
Things turned physical after that goal and the chances similarly dried up. A few hefty tackles went without bookings, and Kvesic's tame header was the only concern for Tschauner.
With all hope looking lost and Aue throwing the ball aimless forward on a regular basis, it seemed like Hannover had done enough. However, Nazarov had other ideas. A flick on that finally went their way when it fell kindly to Nazarov, and the Azerbaijan international stroked the ball into the bottom corner to send the home fans into rapture.
The draw didn't do much for either side, as Hannover could end the weekend in fourth if results go against them. However, that would also mean all of the top four would be level on 57 points. Aue sit on 33 points, still looking over their shoulder at the relegation zone.