COTTBUS, August 19 (Bundesliga) - Nigel de Jong scored a 72nd-minute equaliser as 10-man Hamburg fought back to deny promoted Energie Cottbus all three points at Stadion der Freundschaft on Saturday.

The versatile Holland international nodded home a Rafael van der Vaart corner just a minute after Sergiu Radu had put Cottbus in the lead for the first time.

Boubacar Sanogo had opened the scoring for the visitors in the 39th minute but Vlad Munteanu levelled matters from the penalty spot 11 minutes into the second half.

Hamburg, who have now drawn their opening two games, had to play the last eight minutes with 10 men after Guy Demel was given a straight red card for a headbutt.

Jiayi Shao had a goal disallowed for the hosts in the 13th minute for offside and the same player saw his header from a Munteanu corner cleared off the line by David Jarolim on the half-hour mark.

Hamburg went ahead somewhat against the run of play, Sanogo's accurate 20-yarder too well-placed for Tomislav Piplica in the Cottbus goal.

Marco Kuntzel thrashed a shot wide and Radu had a shot tipped onto the post by Sascha Kirschtein before Cottbus finally scored their equaliser.

Jarolim was adjudged to have handled on the line after Mariusz Kulkielka had powered a header goalwards, and Munteanu slammed the resulting spot-kick home.

Radu then put the hosts into the lead, running onto a Daniel Gunkel pass before calming lifting a shot over Reinhardt into the back of the net.

De Jong proved to be Hamburg's saviour, however, nodding in at the far post after Piplica had misjudged Van der Vaart's corner.

Cottbus failed to take advantage of Demel's 82nd-minute sending-off but they still picked up their first point of the season.