UEFA Europa League: Kamada’s late strike denies Hoffenheim famous win in London

Crystal Palace found a last-gasp goal to salvage a 1-1 draw against Hoffenheim in South London, denying the German side a precious European win on the road.

Hoffenheim looked set to leave Selhurst Park with all three points before former Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Daichi Kamada struck deep into injury time to rescue a point for the hosts.

It was an entertaining first half with strong spells for both sides, but the visitors opened the scoring inside seven minutes.

A blistering counterattack from the Sinsheim outfit carved out space for an in-form Alexander Prass to convert with his left foot.

The Austrian’s shot had just enough power to squirm beneath Dean Henderson after Andrej Kramaric and Tim Lemperle had initiated the break.

Palace’s goalkeeper made amends minutes later, pushing a dangerous Kramaric effort away to safety as Hoffenheim threatened a second.

The Londoners had their own share of decent chances. Yeremy Pino teed up Kamada, who steered his shot wide, while Oliver Baumann was alert to deny a Jean-Philippe Mateta effort. At the other end, Henderson kept Wouter Burger at bay.

Following a rather tame spell after the break, Palace coach Pierre Sage turned to his bench, introducing Eddie Nketiah and Oscar Mingueza with 35 minutes remaining.

Several yellow cards followed as the hosts grew frustrated by their inability to break down a resolute Hoffenheim defence.

Suddenly, Baumann was thrust back into the action, smothering Pino from a tight angle. Adam Daghim and Catejan Lenz offered fresh legs for Christian Ilzer’s side, which soon gained a numerical advantage.

Adam Wharton was sent off for a second bookable offense after his elbow connected with Burger, leaving referee Catalin Popa with no option but to show red.

Palace desperately pushed for an equalizer late on despite being a man down, throwing bodies forward in search of a breakthrough.

Their persistence paid off in injury time when Kamada squeezed a shot through a crowd of bodies and past Baumann to secure a dramatic 1-1 draw.

The late goal left Hoffenheim frustrated after a disciplined away performance, while Palace celebrated a point that keeps their European hopes alive.