Hamburg have continued their recent revival with a narrow 1-0 victory over Hannover in the Bundesliga.
The first chance of the game fell to Hannover, when Szabolcs Huszti floated in a corner in the ninth minute that Karim Haggui headed towards goal, only for Rene Adler to clear off the line.
However, the hosts were in front 11 minutes later when Rafael van der Vaart sent Artjoms Rudnevs through on goal, and the 24-year-old scored with ease.
Hannover had the bulk of the chances thereafter, with Adler fending off attempts from Didier Ya Konan and Sergio Pinto among others.
Ya Konan came close to restoring parity for Hannover on the hour mark when he acrobatically volleyed Steven Cherundolo's cross, but failed to keep it on target from an inch.
Mohammed Abdellaoue and Lars Stindl had chances for Hannover, while Adler ensured maximum points for Hamburg with a strong save to keep out Ya Konan.
The victory pushes Hamburg up to 10th in the Bundesliga table and makes it three matches unbeaten for Thorsten Fink's side.
Liam Power
