BERLIN, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- RB Leipzig missed a chance to strengthen its bid for a Champions League place after being held 2-2 at home by VfL Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga on Sunday, with Brajan Gruda scoring late to salvage a point.
The draw was a setback for Leipzig in the race for fourth, despite long spells of control against a Wolfsburg side that arrived on the back of three straight league defeats and hovering near the relegation play-off places.
Leipzig dominated the first half but could not break through, with Wolfsburg goalkeeper Kamil Grabara in excellent form. The Polish keeper denied Yan Diomande early and produced a superb stop to keep out Conrad Harder's acrobatic effort. Leipzig had 60 percent possession and a 10-2 edge in shots before the break, yet went in level at 0-0. Wolfsburg's best chance came from Christian Eriksen, whose long-range effort landed on the roof of the net.
The game turned after halftime. Diomande forced another save from Grabara four minutes into the second half, but Wolfsburg struck first in the 52nd minute. After a turnover in midfield, Mohamed Amoura combined with Adam Daghim and finished clinically from the right, leaving Leipzig back-up goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt with no chance.
Leipzig's pressure finally paid off in the 70th minute when a mis-hit clearance by Grabara rebounded off Gruda, who reacted quickly and squared for Diomande to tap in from close range.
Wolfsburg restored its lead eight minutes later. After a sharp move involving Lovro Majer and Jeanuel Belocian, Mattias Svanberg kept his composure to make it 2-1 in the 78th minute.
As the visitors closed in on a valuable win, a defensive lapse proved costly. Maximilian Arnold's attempted clearance fell to Gruda, who curled home from 16 meters in the 89th minute to make it 2-2.
"We conceded two really cheap goals that we simply have to defend better. It was important that we fought back to make it 2-2, but our aim was clearly to take all three points. At the end we were pushing and had the chances to nick a winner," Gruda said.
Elsewhere, FC Augsburg edged 1. FC Heidenheim thanks to a penalty, with the bottom side producing a disciplined display but lacking the cutting edge to convert its chances. ■
