Marcel N'Djeng's deflected winner against FC Koln earned Hertha Berlin a first away victory of the Bundesliga season this evening.
Anthony Ujah cancelled out a first-half opener from Roy Beerens, but N'Djeng's 87th-minute goal saw Hertha become the final team in the division to win on their travels.
Nigerian striker Ujah could have earlier given the hosts the lead at the the RheinEnergieStadion when he sliced wide from six yards out following a Kevin Vogt knockdown.
Berlin soon went up the other end and threatened as a Nico Schulz cross was nodded wide by Valentin Stocker, who turned provider for Beerens on 28 minutes.
However, the goal was all about Beerens, who started the move inside his own half before exchanging passes with Stocker on the right flank and dancing into the box to finish left footed into the bottom corner.
Koln started the second period brightly in their pursuit of an equaliser as Pawel Olkowski was thwarted by Thomas Kraft, but the Hertha goalkeeper was picking his ball out of his net moments later.
Ujah ran clear of a high Berlin defensive line before calmly slotting beyond Kraft on 58 minutes for his second goal in as many games.
He would have had a brace had it not been for the crossbar denying his effort from a Miso Brecko cross, while John Brooks headed straight at Timo Horn in an end-to-end spell in which both sides pushed for a goal.
Koln were looking the more likely as Matthias Lehmann, Daniel Halfar and Olkowski went close and, after Hertha had ridden their luck, another major slice of fortune saw them snatch the points.
N'Djeng's late free kick took a huge deflection off the wall and dribbled past a wrong-footed Horn into the bottom corner, as Berlin secured a 2-1 victory which sees them climb to 13th in the table.
Joe Fish
