1. FC Kaiserslautern came back twice from behind Sunday, but the 2-2 tie in Karlsruhe did not get the Red Devils any closer to third place and a promotion to the Bundesliga.

FCK coach Torsten Lieberknecht sent the same starters onto the pitch as last weekend against Schalke. And Kaiserslautern had the first good scoring chance of the game in the seventh minute when Ragnar Ache reacted quickly on a loose ball, but Karlsruhe keeper Max Weiss made the stop.

Karlsruhe took the lead three minutes later when Louey Ben Farhat converted a corner kick past Julian Krahl.

The Red Devils evened the score in the 31^st minute, also off a corner. Jan Elvedi connected with Marlon Ritter’s kick with his left foot from about six yards out.

Both teams had scoring chances before and after the intermission. But a lapse in the Kaiserslautern defense in the 58^th minute left Sebastian Jung free to put KSC back in the lead.

It only took the Red Devils six minutes to get back in the game. Daniel Hanslik headed a cross from Jannis Heuer past Weiss into the Karlsruhe net for the 2-2.

Both teams tried for the win, but neither could score, leaving a tie that does not help anyone.

The deadlock left the Red Devils in seventh place with 50 points; Karlsruhe dropped to nineth. The big winners in the race to the Bundesliga were Hamburg, returning to first place after a win in Darmstadt, and Elversberg.

FCK’s neighbor to the west climbed into third place with 52 points, beating Nuremberg on the road 3-1. Biggest loser of the week was Magdeburg, which fell from third to fifth after losing at home to lowly Münster.

The second division standings are still tight, with two games remaining. Cologne is three points ahead of Elversberg. Paderborn is in fourth also with 52 points, followed by Magdeburg, Düsseldorf, and Kaiserslautern all with 50.

Behind them, Hannover and Karlsruhe are theoretically still in the running for third place and the relegation series against Bundesliga’s 16^th place team.

Next up for the Red Devils is their final home game of the season on Sunday, a must-win match against Darmstadt 98 at 1:30 p.m. at Fritz Walter Stadium.

The final game of the season is May 18 in Cologne, a match that could be decisive for both teams.

K-town Sports