It end all square in Hannover

Pál Dardai made no changes to the team that drew at home to KSC, so it was Márton Dárdai and Pascal Klemens who made up the defensive midfield and Florian Niederlechner started up top with Haris Tabaković.

Niederlechner and Klemens score in dominant first half

Hertha’s first big chance of the game came after 15 minutes when the ball landed at Tabaković’s feet in the box, but our number 25 failed to beat Hannover keeper Ron-Robert Zieler with his effort. The hosts had the ball in the back of Tjark Ernst’s net in the 20th minute, but Derrick Köhn’s goal was disallowed for a clear offside. Hertha then broke the deadlock in the 29th minute when Fabian Reese found Niederlechner with a wonderful lofted cross from the left, who finished coolly with a powerful strike into the bottom left corner of the goal. Pascal Klemens then doubled The Old Lady’s lead just before the break thanks to a textbook counter-attack, which ended with Reese laying the ball across the box to Klemens, who struck the ball past Zieler with the inside of his boot (45’). Klemens’ first goal for the club meant that Hertha went into half time with a well-deserved two goal lead.

A game of two halves

It was Hannover 96 who had the first chance of the second half, when Sei Muroya was found in space inside The Old Lady’s penalty area, but Deyovaisio Zeefuik covered ground quickly to make a crucial block and prevent the Hannover man from getting his shot off (56’). The first big mistake at the back for Hertha was instantly punished; it was made far too easy for Nielsen to drive with the ball from his own half all the way into the penalty area, before firing it past Ernst in goal (67’).  

Hannover 96 then drew back level in the 80th minute, when substitute Andreas Voglsammer got on the end of an impressive ball over the top from Marcel Halstenberg and rifled it into the bottom right corner. Substitute Derry Scherhant had a chance to make it 3-2 when he cut inside from the left-wing after getting to a superb long ball from Reese, but his effort missed just wide of the far post (83’). Half chances then followed at either end of the pitch, but both sides failed to find a winner, meaning that the points were shared at full time. 

Next up for The Old Lady is a home fixture against SV Elversberg on Sunday, 3rd December (13:30 CET). 

Florian Niederlechner: "A draw was a fair result, even though that's hard to say after going 2-0 up. We were definitely on top in the first half, but Hannover were the better side in the second 45."

Hannover 96: Zieler – Neumann, Halstenberg, Arrey-Mbi – Dehm (46‘ Muroya), Kunze, Leopold (75‘ Christiansen), Köhn – Schaub (75‘ Scott), Nielsen – Tresoldi (62‘ Voglsammer)

Hertha BSC: Ernst – Kenny, Leistner (C), Kempf, Zeefuik – Klemens (79‘ Gechter), M. Dárdai (73‘ Bouchalakis) – Winkler (73‘ Scherhant), Reese – Niederlechner (90+2‘ Prevljak) – Tabaković 

Goals: 0-1 Niederlechner (29‘), 0-2 Klemens (45‘), 1-2 Nielsen (67‘), 2-2 Voglsammer (80‘)

Referee: Timo Gerach

Yellow cards: Klemens

Attendance: 45,100