Raffael scored a late winner as Borussia Monchengladbach climbed up to fourth in the Bundesliga with a 2-1 victory over Hannover this afternoon.
The early signs were worrying for Hannover as Monchengladbach attacked at pace, with Lars Stindl agonisingly close to the opener when his powerful strike crashed against the post.
Long spells of dominance were enough to bring a reward as Mahmoud Dahoud led an attack from midfield before playing in Ibrahima Traore, who held his nerve to find the bottom corner with a calm finish.
Hannover rarely threatened, but they could have been back on level terms moments later when Kenan Karaman found the space to unleash an effort which Yann Sommer tipped away.
The response was impressive in the second half as Hannover started to move the ball better in midfield, and only an impressive save from Sommer to deny Salif Sane delayed the equaliser.
It was a sign of what was to come as Hannover found the leveller in scrappy fashion when a goalmouth scramble ended with a loose ball breaking to Artur Sobiech, who rifled home the finish to silence the home fans.
However, Monchengladbach recovered well from the setback to control the game for much of the second half as Hannover dropped deeper in the hope of securing a point.
The decisive moment arrived with just five minutes of normal time as Andreas Christensen found his target with the second attempt from out wide, allowing Raffael to finish calmly in a crowded box to clinch the points.
Callum Mulvihill
