Hamburg, May 29 (IANS): Hamburger SV have avoided a first-leg loss against Karlsruhe SC club thanks to Ivo Ilicevic's late equaliser on 1-1 in Bundesliga's promotion play-off game.

Second-division side Karlsruhe gave the hosts a hard fight at the Volkspark stadium, yet they remained wasteful on the finish allowing first-division side Hamburg to snatch a late draw on Thursday, reports Xinhua.

Karlsruhe caught a fairy-tale start on the road as the visitor's stunned Hamburg with the opener in the 4th minute. Rouwen Hennings unleashed a left-footed hammer from the edge of the box into the bottom right corner.

The early goal played into Karlsruhe's hands as they were able to focus on fast breaks. Meanwhile uninspired Hamburg were forced to dictate the proceedings on the pitch.

However, the second-division club were able to keep the hosts on the distance therefore Pierre-Michel Lasogga's long range effort remained the only noteworthy chance of the first division team.

After the restart, Karlsruhe had the chance to double the lead on the road but Manuel Torres and Dimitrij Nazarov rattled the bar within seconds, giving Hamburg the chance to score the crucial equaliser on home soil.

Ivo Ilicevic made use of a one-two with Dennis Diekmeier to slot home from inside of the box in the 73rd minute.

Bruno Labbadia's men pressed Karlsruhe into the defence in the dying minutes of the game and they almost grabbed the lead but "KSC" goalkeeper Dirk Orlishausen defused Marcelo Diaz long range shot with a diving save.

With the 1-1 first leg draw Hamburg leave the door open for the second leg in Karlsruhe. The "HSV" need a win or a draw, higher than a 1-1, to maintain their first leg status for another season.

The "KSC" would reap their promotion after a six-season absence with a victory or a goalless draw in the second leg on June 1.