Hannover celebrated a win which lifted them out of the bottom three and dented Augsburg's European hopes
Hannover celebrated a win which lifted them out of the bottom three and dented Augsburg's European hopes

Hannover break 2015 duck with crucial win in Augsburg

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Hanover - Hannover 96 moved out of the relegation zone courtesy of a priceless 2-1 win away to FC Augsburg.

All-action encounter

Their noses back in front thanks to a Lars Stindl brace, Hannover’s task wasn’t helped by Hiroki Sakai’s 78th-minute sending off, but it was Augsburg who imploded late on, with first-half goalscorer Paul Verhaegh and Raul Bobadilla both receiving their marching orders in added time.

Chasing a first league win since 16 December 2014, the Reds were rewarded for their bold start in the 24th minute. Jimmy Briand collected Hiroshi Kiyotake’s fine pass and in turn fed Stindl, who calmly stuck away his ninth of the campaign. The lead lasted just six minutes, though, as Verhaegh hammered home from the penalty spot after Sakai fouled Abdul Rahman Baba.

Undeterred, Hannover restored their advantage early in the second half when Stindl rounded off a great bit of play from Briand for 2-1. Augsburg were given a lifeline when Sakai collected his second booking of the afternoon, but after Ron-Robert Zieler denied Sascha Mölders, the home side’s frustrations got the better of them. Verhaegh saw red for a second-bookable offence, with Bobadilla following for a push on Miiko Albornoz. Hannover will definitely be safe if they beat SC Freiburg next weekend, while Augsburg need a point from their trip to Borussia Mönchengladbach to secure a place in the UEFA Europa League.

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