Hertha edge closer to trap door
BERLIN - Bottom side Hertha Berlin moved closer to the relegation trap door from the Bundesliga after twice squandering a lead to draw 2-2 at Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday.
Hertha are five points off the relegation play-off spot and their final three games are against Bundesliga powerhouses Schalke 04, Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich, making their task to stay up an improbable one.
"Why should we not win against Schalke if we play like we did in the past weeks? We have the worst cards in our hands but chances are still there. We will not give up," Hertha coach Friedhelm Funkel told Sky Television.
Hertha captain Arne Friedrich said the club had nothing to lose.
"We have been last for months but we still have a tiny chance and in the Bundesliga everything is possible."
Borussia Dortmund squandered their chance to go third in the Bundesliga when Mats Hummels scored a 89th-minute own goal to hand Hoffenheim a 1-1 draw.
Paraguayan Nelson Valdez headed Dortmund ahead in the 57th minute and the hosts looked to be holding on for victory until Hummels tried to intercept a Carlos Eduardo cross for striker Vedad Ibisevic but ended up putting the ball into his own net.
Dortmund are fifth on 53 points.
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Bayern Munich maintained their two-point lead with a 7-0 demolition of Hanover 96 on Saturday while second-placed Schalke 04 stayed hot on their heels with a 3-1 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach.