Freiburg stage thrilling comeback at basement side Cologne
The relegation battle at a snow-bound RheinEnergieStadion proved a classic as the visitors overturned the home side's three-goal lead with a 95th-minute penalty.
Freiburg overturned a three-goal deficit to beat Cologne 4-3 in a Bundesliga relegation tussle on Sunday with visiting striker Nils Petersen completing a hat-trick with a 95th-minute penalty.
A heavy overnight snowfall created testing conditions at basement side Cologne, but the hosts charged into a 3-0 lead with just half an hour gone.
Lukas Kluenter hit the bottom right-hand corner after eight minutes then French striker Sehrou Guirassy converted a 16th-minute penalty only after the referee struggled to find the spot under the snow.
Cologne surrender 3-0 half-hour lead
Freiburg's USA midfielder Caleb Stanko turned the ball into his own net to make it 3-0 with 29 minutes gone and Cologne were on course for their first win this season.
However, ex-Bayern striker Petersen offered Freburg faint hope by pulling a goal with a superb volley direct from a cross just before half-time.
Then with an hour gone, midfielder Janik Haberer put Freiburg back in the game with a bullet header from a corner.
Petersen equalised in the 90th minute by converting his first penalty and grabbed an unlikely win for Freiburg by drilling home a second spot-kick just before the final whistle after a handball from Guirassy.
Cologne without a win after 15 matches
Freiburg are now 16th in the table, still in the relegation places.
The defeat broke Cologne hearts, leaving them winless after their first 15 matches and now 12 points from safety in their first league games since cult coach Peter Stöger was sacked last weekend.
Stöger was named new coach of Borussia Dortmund on Sunday, a day after they crashed 2-1 at home to Werder Bremen, their eighth league game without a win, which cost Stoeger's predecessor Peter Bosz his job.
On Saturday, Bayern Munich opened an eight-point lead at the top of the table with a 1-0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt after second-placed RB Leipzig conceded a late equaliser in their 2-2 draw with Mainz.