Tim Skarke scored a dramatic 92nd-minute equaliser as Union Berlin fought back from two goals down to draw 3-3 with Eintracht Frankfurt, extending Eintracht’s winless run in the head-to-head fixture to six matches.
Union Berlin made the perfect start when Marin Ljubičić’s effort took a deflection and went behind for a corner. Josip Juranović delivered the set piece towards Emmanuel Latte Lath, and despite being held by Raphael Onyedika, the debutant rose highest to head past Noah Atubolu, who was also making his first appearance for the club.
Frankfurt responded almost immediately. From a corner in the 10th minute, Younes Ebnoutalib reacted quickest to a loose ball inside the box and fired home after Union failed to deal with the danger.
Ebnoutalib struck again just seconds after the restart, taking advantage of a poor Leopold Querfeld touch before racing through on goal. His effort squeezed over the line despite Matheo Raab getting a hand to the ball and Zeno Van Den Bosch attempting to clear it.
The chaotic opening continued, although neither side could add to the score before half-time. Can Uzun came close for Frankfurt after being picked out by Elias Baum, but he could only lift his effort over the crossbar. The match was then interrupted around the half-hour mark when one of the officials suffered an injury, resulting in a lengthy delay.
Frankfurt retained much of the control after play resumed, although Ayoube Amaimouni saw his effort from the edge of the box blocked by Querfeld.
Read Also: tarkowski-strikes-late-to-rescue-everton-in-thrilling-bournemouth-draw
Union showed greater attacking intent after the interval but struggled to seriously test Atubolu, who had earlier taken a blow to the head from Michel Aebischer. Mauro Lustrinelli responded by making three attacking substitutions in the 61st minute, including Skarke. The substitute initially failed to connect cleanly with a chance created by Tom Rothe’s long throw.
Frankfurt restored their two-goal advantage six minutes later. A fortunate bounce off Baum fell kindly for Ebnoutalib, who made no mistake with a powerful volley to complete his hat-trick.
Union refused to surrender, and Atubolu was forced into a superb save to keep out a deflected free-kick before denying Rothe with another impressive stop. However, the goalkeeper was finally beaten from the resulting corner, with Juranović once again providing the delivery for Querfeld to rise above the defence and head home with 11 minutes remaining.
The comeback was completed extraordinarily in the second minute of stoppage time. Van Den Bosch headed the ball back towards Querfeld, whose header was flicked on by Skarke and found the net to send the Union Berlin supporters into celebration.
The remarkable comeback provides a huge boost for Lustrinelli and his Union side, while Frankfurt will be left frustrated after surrendering a two-goal lead despite entering the fixture full of confidence following their emphatic 11-0 DFB-Pokal victory over fifth-tier SC St Tönis.
