Diouf double rescues Hannover a point against Nürnberg
Hannover - A late Mame Diouf brace helped Hannover 96 bounce back from a three-goal half-time deficit to rescue a 3-3 home draw against winless 1. FC Nürnberg on Matchday 16.
Club on the rampage
Nürnberg, who went into the game still searching for their first Bundesliga victory of the season, started brightly at the HDI Arena and took the lead when Adam Hlousek’s long-range strike took a wicked deflection off Hiroki Sakai, wrong-footing Ron-Robert Zieler in the Hannover goal and sending the ball into the bottom corner.
Josip Drmic promptly doubled Nürnberg’s advantage eight minutes later with a composed finish after rounding Zieler. However, there was no sign of the visitors resting on their laurels as Sweden international Per Nilsson made it 3-0 five minutes before half-time with a powerful header from Marvin Plattenhardt's corner, a scoreline which reflected der Club’s dominance in a one-sided first 45 minutes.
Diouf to the rescue
The hosts improved after the restart and Raphael Schäfer was forced to make a smart save at the feet of Szabolcs Huszti five minutes into the second half. The veteran Nürnberg keeper was powerless to prevent Hannover pulling a goal back on the hour-mark though, when Huszti’s low cross was tapped home from close range by substitute Leonardo Bittencourt.
Another Huszti delivery was headed against the crossbar by Marcelo, before Mame Diouf further reduced the deficit with four minutes remaining courtesy of a close-range finish. Two minutes into stoppage time, the Senegal international broke Nürnberg hearts when he poked home from inside the penalty area after Schäfer had saved his initial header. Gertjan Verbeek’s team remain in trouble in 17th, but Hannover will be delighted with a point following an outstanding comeback.
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