Mainz up to fifth; Hannover win away; Lower Saxony draw
Munich - There was the usual dose of goals and entertainment in Sinsheim, where Mainz celebrated their rise to fifth in the standings against Hoffenheim, while Hannover 96 celebrated a rare away victory and the Lower Saxony derby ended all square.
1899 Hoffenheim 2-4 1. FSV Mainz 05
bundesliga.com rounds up the Saturday afternoon action in Germany's top flight...
1. FSV Mainz recovered from two goals down for the first time in their Bundesliga history to take three points at the home of the league's entertainers Hoffenheim. Quick-fire strikes from Eugen Polanski and Roberto Firmino were not enough for the hosts as Maxim Choupo-Moting, Benedikt Saller and a Shinji Okazaki brace helped Mainz to a sensational comeback.
Hoffenheim had the chance to take an early lead when Kevin Volland earned his side a penalty after being fouled by Nikolce Noveski. However, Sejad Salihovic, usually so reliable from the spot, sent his shot wide of the target, ensuring a goalless scoreline after 45 minutes in the Wirsol Rhein-Neckar-Arena for the first time this season,
Six goals in one half
Whenever Hoffenheim are involved, though, goals are always just around the corner and two arrived in just three minutes early in the second half. Polanski netted against his former club with an unstoppable volley before Firmino hooked a first-time shot past Loris Karius from the edge of the area.
Mainz bettered that with three goals in eight minutes to turn the game on its head. Choupo-Moting turned in Nicolai Müller's cross to give Thomas Tuchel's men hope before Saller scored when the ball looped in off his thigh after Niklas Süle attempted to clear his lines. Okazaki then headed in a third from Choupo-Moting's cross before adding a fourth with the final touch of the game, lifting Mainz into the top five and on course for a place in Europe next season.
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Eintracht Braunschweig 1-1 VfL Wolfsburg
Eintracht Braunschweig and VfL Wolfsburg shared the spoils with a 1-1 draw in the Lower Saxony derby. Luiz Gustavo gave the Wolves the lead before half-time only for Karim Bellarabi to earn struggling Braunschweig a point early in the second half with a fine strike.
Luiz Gustavo, back in the side after suspension, was in the right place at the right time to turn the ball in from six yards after Braunschweig failed to clear their lines from a corner. It was the Brazilian midfielder's third goal in his last five games and went some way to erasing memories of the shock 2-0 defeat in the reverse fixture.
Braunschweig transformed
The hosts were a shadow of the side that has battled so valiantly in recent weeks, but that was all to change once the second half got underway. With the words of coach Torsten Lieberknecht clearly ringing in their ears, the Lions were transformed. Domi Kumbela's determined run down the right ended with the forward crossing for Bellarabi to score from close range and bring them back on terms.
The hosts sensed an opportunity to beat their local rivals for the second time this season and had their final ball been more accurate, they might have done so. Instead, Wolfsburg held on for a point which nevertheless sees them slip to sixth.
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Hertha Berlin 0-3 Hannover 96
Hannover 96 won on their travels for only the second time this season with an emphatic 3-0 triumph over Hertha Berlin in the capital. Lars Stindl, Jan Schlaudraff and Szabolcs Huszti were on target for Tayfun Korkut's men.
With Hertha taking the game to their hosts in the first half, Adrian Ramos failed to capitalise on a good chance to add to his 15 goals so far this term when he slipped at the crucial moment. For their part, Hannover began timidly and created just one chance in the first half, through the effervescent Leonardo Bittencourt.
Clinical Hannover
It seemed set to be a similar story in the second half when Ronny tested Ron-Robert Zieler early on, only for the guests' best move of the game to change the course of the action. Stindl was involved at the start and the very finish, with Bittencourt setting him up to beat Thomas Kraft inside his near post. Hertha were stunned, and before they could get over the shock, they were two behind.
A long ball sent Bittencourt down the right and he timed his pass through to Schlaudraff, who kept his composure to dribble round Kraft and slot the ball in for his first goal since November 2012. Hertha tried to redress the issue, but after losing possession sloppily in midfield, Didier Ya Konan was able to send Huszti through to seal the points in stoppage time.
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