BERLIN — Hamburger SV was lucky to escape with a 1-1 draw against Cologne as the home side’s slump continued Sunday in its sixth Bundesliga game without a win.
"We know that we have a lot of hard work ahead of us," said Hamburg coach Bruno Labbadia, whose side has claimed only two points from that six-game run.
Cologne forward Anthony Modeste struck the crossbar with a header in the 38th, three minutes before Simon Zoller opened the scoring after a mistake from Hamburg captain Johan Djourou.
Watch match highlights: Hamburger SV 1, Koln 1 || Hoffenheim 0, Darmstadt 2 ||
Nicolai Mueller equalized just after the interval with a brilliant strike to the top left corner after some good play between halftime substitute Artjoms Rudnevs and Gojko Kacar.
Cologne missed a host of chances after to reclaim the lead.
"We clearly had the game under control but we have to get the second goal," Cologne sporting director Joerg Schmadtke said.
Rene Adler made two brilliant saves to deny the visitors, first thwarting Filip Mladenovic’s strike from distance and then pushing Marcel Risse’s free kick onto the bar.
"The way the game went, we have to be happy with the point," Mueller said.
Promoted Darmstadt won 2-0 at relegation-threatened Hoffenheim in a bad-tempered late game.
Darmstadt captain Aytac Sulu headed the visitors in front in the 33rd and Slobodan Rajkovic converted from close range to seal the win with five minutes to play.
Both Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund were held to scoreless draws Saturday, preserving the eight-point gap at the top between the sides. Bayern drew at Bayer Leverkusen after second-place Dortmund had been held at Hertha Berlin.
