Frankfurt come from behind to beat Hannover
Hannover - A brace from Marc Stendera saw Eintracht Frankfurt come from behind to win 2-1 away to Hannover 96.
Hannover 96 1-2 Eintracht Frankfurt
Goals: 1-0 (Klaus 51'), 1-1 (Stendera 57'), 1-2 (Stendera 65')
Neither side looked particularly dangerous in the first half, the game characterised more by its physicality, although Leon Andreasen, HirokiSakai and Hiroshi Kiyotake all tested Lukas Hradecky in the Frankfurt goal. The best chance came from a Kiyotake free kick from 20 metres out, the ball bobbling wide of Hradecky's right post.
The second half began with another chance for Kiyotake, who was offered too much space to shoot but could only find the hands of Hradecky. Hannover took the lead with 51 minutes played, Kiyotake's brilliant run setting up Felix Klaus to poke the ball home. Stendera equalised six minutes later, controlling the ball just inside the area before smashing it past Ron-Robert Zieler. Frankfurt nearly got a second moments later, but Stefan Aigner's shot was stopped by Zieler.
Stendera gave Frankfurt the lead on 65 minutes, once again controlling the ball well before lashing into the bottom corner. Thereafter, Frankfurt were the better team, pressing solidly in a bid to wrap up the three points, and only a fine save from Zieler prevented Frankfurt from getting a third in injury time.
Man of the match
Stendera grabbed two goals to turn the game on its head and claim Eintracht Frankfurt the victory. He also played a crucial role in Frankfurt's midfield dominance in the closing phases.
Talking point
After two consecutive victories, Hannover did look like a side rejuvenated in this game. They still lack a certain control in defence and they were outplayed in midfield, but Michael Frontzeck will have been pleased with the overall performance.
Match stats
- Stendera's first was his maiden Bundesliga strike with his left foot.This was the midfielder's first Bundesliga brace.Klaus' first goal ended a run of 18 games without scoring, the longest of his Bundesliga career.
Line-ups
Hannover: Zieler – Sakai, Marcelo, Schulz, Albornoz – Sane, Schmiedebach (Saint-Maximin 70') – Andreasen, Kiyotake, Klaus (Felipe 85') – Sobiech (Erdinc 66')
Frankfurt: Hradecky – Hasebe, Zambrano, Russ, Djakpa – Reinartz (Medojevic 54'), Stendera (Flum 87') – Aigner (Chandler 90'), Meier, Oczipka - Seferovic
