Augsburg keeper Hitz saves day with 'crazy' late goal

BERLIN (Reuters) - Augsburg goalkeeper Marwin Hitz rescued a point for his team in unusual fashion when he netted a stoppage-time equaliser to secure a 2-2 draw against Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday. He became only the third keeper to score in a league game from open play, according to the Bundesliga. "Football writes these kind of stories," Augsburg coach Markus Weinzierl told reporters. "He gets into this golden position. To have Hitz as a scorer is of course crazy." Former Germany internationals Jens Lehmann and Frank Rost were the other two keepers to have achieved the feat in 1997 and 2002 respectively. The 27-year-old Swiss keeper, back for the first time since a knee injury in November, had joined the rest of his team mates forward in the fourth minute of stoppage time with Leverkusen 2-1 ahead. Leverkusen failed to clear a corner properly with Augsburg players desperate to send the ball back into the box where Hitz raced past five defenders and was left unmarked, turning well to level from three metres out. The goal kept surprise packages Augsburg in fifth place and in contention for a European spot with Champions League side Leverkusen two points behind on 33. (Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Ed Osmond)