Mame Biram Diouf (r.) broke the deadlock inside five minutes to put Hannover on course for a win over Greuther Fürth
Mame Biram Diouf (r.) broke the deadlock inside five minutes to put Hannover on course for a win over Greuther Fürth

Reds roll over flailing Fürth

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Hanover - Hannover 96 bounced back from their 5-0 drubbing at the hands of FC Bayern Munich on Matchday 13 to record a comfortable 2-0 win against a toothless SpVgg Greuther Fürth side.

Quickfire opener

The Reds got off to a perfect start when Mame Biram Diouf opened the scoring and, with Fürth demonstarting relatively little threat, there was only going to be one winner as Mario Eggimann added a goal of his own in the second-half to move his side up into the European qualification places.

Both sides got out of the blocks quickly, but after Edgar Prib had forced Ron-Robert Zieler into the first save of the match it was the home side that got the ball rolling by opening the scoring. Max Grün failed to hold onto Didier Ya Konan's stinging drive, spilling the ball into the path of the grateful Diouf, who poked home his fourth goal of the season at the back post. The early opener helped Hannover settle into their stride as they held Fürth at arm's length, carving out chances of their own at the other end.

Sergio Pinto fizzed an effort across goal after Diouf had held-up the ball admirably, but with the play often getting caught in the midfield battle, the pace of the game slowed to suit Hannover's situation. Gerald Asamoah should have levelled the scores after Eggimann's slip presented him with a clear run at goal, yet the former Germany international couldn't guide the ball beyond the onrushing Zieler.

Reds rarely troubled


Diouf should have added a second within minutes of the restart, but after Grün saved his initial effort, the Senegalese striker hit the bar with a follow-up header before failing to make contact with an improvised acrobatic effort at the third attempt. Chances remained at a premium, but Greuther hadn't given up hope of pulling themselves level as Zieler was forced to produce a top save to deny Zoltan Stieber.

The Reds continued to look the more likely to score, with Eggimann heading just wide before Diouf had an effort correctly ruled out for offside. A second goal was forthcoming with just over 20 minutes remaining, however. Schlaudraff was again the provider as his corner found Eggimann at the back post, who made up for his earlier miss by heading past Grün to ease the pressure on the hosts. The two-goal lead allowed Hannover to take the sting out of the game, denying Fürth the space to threaten and ensuring a return to winning ways for Mirko Slomka's side.

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