Hoffenheim fought back three times before Jacob Bruun Larsen's winner secured a 4-3 victory over Leipzig in the Bundesliga on Saturday, reported Xinhua.
Hoffenheim, with new head coach Christian Ilzer on the sidelines, went close in the fifth minute when Haris Tabakovic had all the time and space in a promising position but shot wide.
Leipzig broke the deadlock ten minutes later when Antonio Nusa's cross into the box allowed Willi Orban to head home.
Leipzig's celebrations were short-lived, however, as Adam Hlozek beat Orban to the ball before slotting into the roof of the net in the 17th minute.
Leipzig regained its lead two minutes later when Nusa hammered home from 16 meters.
Hoffenheim got back on level terms five minutes into the second half, with youngster Tom Bischof's free-kick finding the back of the net.
The host was the more proactive side but was unlucky in the 67th minute when Stanley Nsoki cleared the ball into the wrong net to give Leipzig a 3-2 lead.
Hoffenheim refused to go down without a fight and was rewarded for its efforts when Bruun Larsen was a key part of the comeback, setting up Hlozek for his second goal in the 82nd minute before heading home Anton Stach's cross three minutes from time.
The result sees Leipzig drop to third, while Hoffenheim moves up to 13th.
"I couldn't have imagined a better debut. Of course, it has been a rollercoaster ride. But my compliments to the team for the way they kept coming back," said Ilzer.
Elsewhere, Eintracht Frankfurt took advantage of Leipzig's defeat to move into second place with a 1-0 victory over Werder Bremen. Defending champion Bayer Leverkusen came from two goals down to beat Heidenheim 5-2. Nine-man Freiburg went down 4-0 to Borussia Dortmund. Stuttgart beat bottom side Bochum 2-0, and Wolfsburg edged Union Berlin 1-0.
- Hoffenheim
- Leipzig
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
