FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) -Bayer Leverkusen wasted an early three-goal lead and held on for a 3-3 draw at Karlsruher SC on Saturday, missing a chance to return to the top of the Bundesliga.
Leverkusen had its four-game winning streak snapped while Karlsruhe won the first game after five straight losses.
Bruno Labaddia's Leverkusen pulled even on points with leader Hoffenheim with 25 points from 12 rounds. But Hoffenheim can increase its lead when it plays Sunday at Hertha Berlin.
"We were not over-confident, just somewhat careless," Labaddia said. "But the team is really aggravated after leaving two points here."
Patrick Helmes gave Leverkusen the lead after just 33 seconds, running onto a long pass from Arturo Vidal and beating Karlsruhe goalkeeper Markus Miller.
Stefan Kiessling jumped high to head home Leverkusen's second goal in the 17th and Michal Kadlec struck a perfectly placed free kick to make it 3-0 after 24 minutes.
Antonio da Silva pulled one back for Karlsruhe in the 37th as Kiessling deflected the free kick past Leverkusen's Rene Adler - the first goal the Germany goalkeeper has conceded in five matches.
Tim Sebastian made it a one-goal difference in the 60th and Alexander Iashvili completed the comeback in the 77th.
"You really have to give credit to Karlsruhe who did not give up," Labaddia said. "We were just a step slower the rest of the game and that is not enough against a team which fights so strongly at home."
Karlsruhe now has 10 points, just outside the relegation zone.
Hamburger SV improved to just two points behind Hoffenheim and Leverkusen, moving to third place after a 2-1 victory at home over Borussia Dortmund.
Mladen Petric's header in the ninth minute opened the scoring against his former team and his Croatian compatriot Ivica Olic made it 2-0 in the 33rd after collecting a long ball and rounding Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller to slot home.
Tamas Hajnal pounced on a loose ball in the 48th minute to pull one back for Dortmund after Hamburg goalkeeper Frank Rost had made a fine stop.
