BERLIN -- Fortuna Duesseldorf is a step closer to returning to the Bundesliga after beating Hertha Berlin 2-1 in the first leg of their playoff on Thursday. wholesale nfl jerseys . Roman Hubnik put the home side in front in the 19th minute, but Thomas Broeker equalized in the 64th and an Adrian Ramos own goal in the 71st put Fortuna firmly in control before Tuesdays second leg in Duesseldorf. "Its just one game. Fantastic to win it. Today was something special," Duesseldorf coach Norbert Meier said. "I sweated like a pig." Hertha, 16th in the Bundesliga, and Duesseldorf, third in the second division, are vying for a place in the top division next season with the loser going into the second tier. If the sides finish level on aggregate after both games, away goals will be considered, with extra time and penalties deciding the winner if necessary. Hertha earned promotion from the second division last year after being relegated the season before, while Duesseldorf hopes to end a 15-year absence from the Bundesliga. The visitors came closest to scoring early on, Thomas Kraft saving from Duesseldorf captain Andreas Lambertz and then pushing Adam Bodzeks header just wide. Hubnik beat Broeker to Aenis Ben-Hatiras corner to score with a header, and Hertha seemed in control until Broeker atoned for his mistake with a fine individual effort. "It was a stupid goal," said Hertha captain Levan Kobiashvili. "After the first half very few thought wed give up the game. To lose like that is very bitter." Broeker beat three Hertha defenders -- including Hubnik -- on the right before shooting beyond Thomas Kraft off the near post. "The self-confidence came back with the equalizer," Meier said. Duesseldorf pushed forward and deservedly scored when Ramos attempted clearance from Ken Ilsos dangerous free kick flew past the helpless Kraft. The unfortunate Ramos was playing only because Herthas top scorer Pierre-Michel Lasogga suffered a cruciate ligament injury in his right knee in the Bundesliga game of the season. Kraft pulled off an outstanding one-handed save to deny Broeker late and keep Hertha still in the tie. Only four second-division teams progressed from the 13 playoffs to date. jerseys cheap nfl . Kane returned to score a goal and added an assist, leading the Winnipeg Jets to a 3-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night. wholesale jerseys . The result was a game-winning, power-play goal. Chiasson snapped a third-period tie and lifted the Dallas Stars to a 3-2 victory on Monday night.ATLANTA - One team was motivated by the goal of dodging the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs. The other teams goal was resting its starters. The result was predictable. Chris Douglas-Roberts dribbled into the lane and sank a short jumper as time expired, and the Charlotte Bobcats overcame a 15-point deficit in the final period to beat the Atlanta Hawks 95-93 on Monday night. Al Jefferson had 27 points and 15 rebounds for Charlotte, which remained one game behind Washington in the race for the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Gary Neal had 17. "Great shot," said Jefferson of Douglas-Roberts game-winner. "Great play. Great finish. Great win." Added Jefferson, referring to his role in the play: "Great pick!" Jeffersons turnaround jumper gave the Bobcats a 93-91 lead before Lou Williams answered with a tying jumper for Atlanta with 2.6 seconds remaining. Following a timeout, Douglas-Roberts penetrated and lobbed the soft jumper as the buzzer sounded. Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said Douglas-Roberts "made a great shot." Even so, the coach wasnt satisfied, especially with his teams defence. Charlotte has won seven of eight, but Clifford isnt satisfied his team is playing at the level he wants for the playoffs. "We didnt get the defence we needed out of the starters," Clifford said. "The big thing is to be playing well, which were not." The Hawks rested starters Kyle Korver, Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll the full game, and also held out starters Jeff Teague and Pero Antic the final quarter when the Bobcats made their charge. "Some of our young guys got great opportunities," Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "I think theres a lot to take from tonight." Mike Scott led Atlanta with 20 points. Shelvin Mack and Williams each had 13, and Teague 11. The Hawks spot as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference already was set, so Budenholzer was playing to protect his top players. "I think when youre in our situation, health and all of those things are a priority," Budenholzer said. cheap jerseys from china. Added veteran Elton Brand: "We felt like we let it slip away, but guys got a lot of experience and that is important for us, too." By contrast, Charlotte still had much to play for. The reward for sixth is avoiding Miami in the first round. Washington beat Miami 114-93 on Monday night to protect its lead over Charlotte in the race for sixth and secure first in the conference for Indiana. The Hawks will face the Pacers in the first round. Douglas-Roberts had five points as part of the Bobcats productive bench. "We have a job to do," Douglas-Roberts said. "We did a great job of getting back into this game. Gary Neal and Luke Ridnour basically carried us up until that point. ... I feel like thats the least I can do to help these guys, the way they carried us the whole quarter." Atlanta led 50-44 at halftime and 80-65 entering the final period. The Bobcats opened the fourth period with a 19-4 run, capped by 14 consecutive points, to pull even at 84. Ridnour had all of his 10 points in the run, including the tying jumper with 6:07 remaining. Three free throws by Neal gave Charlotte its first lead of the half at 87-86. The Bobcats led 91-86 before Macks back-to-back baskets — a 3-pointer and short jumper — tied the game at 91. Kemba Walker had five points and seven assists in his returned for the Bobcats after missing two games with a sore right groin. NOTES: The Bobcats salvaged one win in the four-game season series. ... Former Turner Entertainment Networks president Steve Koonin was introduced in the day as the Hawks CEO and co-owner. Koonin will direct business operations and represent the owners in league meetings. ... Jefferson posted his eighth straight double-double. ... A young fan sitting on the front row and wearing a Hawks jersey was bowled over by Charlottes Anthony Tolliver. The boy appeared to be shaken up but quickly regrouped as he received high-fives and fist-bumps from Hawks players. During a timeout minutes later, he was presented player-sized athletic shoes which were too big to remain in his lap. cheap jerseys ' ' '
