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Stuttgart forward Wahid Faghir celebrates scoring their late equaliser
French veteran Anthony Modeste scored two second-half goals on Sunday as hosts Cologne fought back to draw 2-2 with Bayer Leverkusen in the Rhineland derby.
Cologne were on the ropes at their RheinEnergie Stadion as Leverkusen raced into a 2-0 lead inside 17 minutes through goals by Patrik Schick and Karim Bellarabi.
Cologne pulled one back when 33-year-old Modeste fired home unmarked with 62 minutes gone.
Modeste then equalised with a header eight minutes from time.
"Many had already written us off. We turned the game around," Modeste told DAZN. "That is our strength this season, that was a strong second half from us."
The result left Leverkusen fourth in the table, five points behind leaders Bayern Munich, who beat Hoffenheim 4-0 at home on Saturday.
"When you go from 2-0 up to draw 2-2, then it feels like a defeat," said Leverkusen captain, goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky.
"We lost our heads in the second half and Cologne deservedly came back, but it's still annoying."
Cologne are eighth after bouncing back from last weekend's 5-0 hammering at Hoffenheim.
Later, 10-man Stuttgart pinched a point at home to Union Berlin as Danish teenage substitute Wahid Faghir netted his first league goal in Germany in stoppage time to seal a 1-1 draw.
"It's awesome to score my first Bundesliga goal in front of our fans," Faghir, who was born in Denmark to Afghan parents, told DAZN.
Union were cruising to a win which would have put them fourth when Faghir held off several defenders to equalise in the 93rd minute.
His shot deflected off Union's former Stuttgart defender Timo Baumgartl and wrong-footed visiting goalkeeper Andreas Luthe.
"It feels like a defeat," admitted Baumgartl. "We played well and only allowed them two chances."
It was heartbreaking for Union, who had dominated with Nigeria international Taiwo Awoniyi scoring his sixth goal in his last five games.
The former Liverpool striker, who spent 2020/21 on loan in Berlin before transferring permanently in the summer, has now bagged 11 goals this season in 15 matches in all competitions.
With half an hour played, the 24-year-old put Union ahead from the edge of the area by converting Sheraldo Becker's pass after a long spell of pressure.
Stuttgart were a man down for the last 33 minutes after defender Atakan Karazor was sent off for two yellow cards within 35 seconds.
Yet Stuttgart equalised when Faghir bagged a first Bundesliga goal on his second league appearance.
The result leaves Union fifth and Stuttgart 13th in the table.
Bochum leapfrogged visitors Eintracht Frankfurt to 14th in the table after a 2-0 win.
Bochum striker Danny Blum scored an early goal against his former club, then home goalkeeper Manuel Riemann saved Goncalo Paciencia's penalty.
Sebastian Polter grabbed a second goal in the 91st minute as Bochum picked up a second straight win after being bottom side Greuther Fuerth last weekend.
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