Hannover hosted Hertha Berlin looking to maintain their 100% start at home in the Bundesliga, but had to settle for a 1-1 draw.
The first half could have gone either way, but it was Hannover who went in ahead through a powerful strike from Christian Schulz.
However, after the break Hertha were far the better side and deservedly levelled through a superb Ronny free kick soon after he came off the bench.
Read how the action unfolded with our live text commentary below.
Hello everyone. The Bundesliga weekend starts right now with the traditional Friday night clash. Tonight it's fourth against fifth - Hannover vs. Hertha Berlin.
It has been an interesting start to the new season for the hosts. They have been quite brilliant at home, where they have taken all 12 of their points. Away from home, however, they have lost three out of three and have not even scored a goal.
Hertha have performed better than most would have expected following their return to the top flight. Promoted sides usually find it very hard to stay in the league, but Hertha have started in fine fashion and currently occupy a European place. Away, however, they have yet to win. Which is not so much of a problem as home games are the key ones for promoted sides.
So all signs so far are pointing to a home win, aren't they? I'll withhold my prediction until I see the teams. Here they come...
HANNOVER XI: Zieler; Sakai, Marcelo, Schulz, Pocognoli; Stindl, Andreasen; Schalaudraff, Huszti; Ya Konan, Sobiech
HERTHA XI: Kraft; Pekarik, Langkamp, Lustenberg, Van Den Bergh; Hosogai, Skjelbred, Allagui; Ben-Hatira, Schulz, Ramos
So Mame Biram Diouf still must wait for his chance. That's because Didier Ya Konan passed a late fitness test and will continue up front. He is on form and here combines well so often with Artur Sobiech.
For Hertha it's pretty much as expected, although there's a start in the attacking trio for Nico Schulz. It's an important game for Johannes van den Bergh, who has a big ask up against Ya Konan.
I can't see past Hannover for this one. They won't find it easy getting the first goal, but I think 2-0 or 3-0 is not too far out of the realms of possibility tonight. Two minutes away from kickoff.
KICKOFF: Here we go then. Let's hope for more of the goals that have been a thing of Hannover games so far.
Early battle between the two Schulzes. Nico does really well to reach a pass towards him but Christian puts it out for a corner, with nothing coming from it. Good start from the visitors, though.
Hannover are almost in there are Huszti races down the left and gets in a cross. It's dangerous for a moment, but Van Den Bergh hooks it away.
BOOKING: Early card for Jan Schlaudraff for the hosts there as he went in very hard on Van Den Bergh. He got nowhere near the ball, however, and is rightly booked.
It's a bit scrappy in the opening 10 minutes, with lots of bodies in the middle. Pekarik tries a backpass to Kraft, but massively overhits it and it's a first corner for the hosts.
Ben-Hatira is off the field for some treatment, but he's ok to carry on and trundles back on to the field. No shots on goal as yet, with the sides still sizing each other up. Too many direct passes are missing the target - both teams guilty.
If either team is on top of this at the moment, it's certainly Hertha. They are pressing Hannover really well and the men in red just cannot string more than two of three passes together. It's the sort of game at the moment that should suit Leon Andreasen.
Hertha have won 64% of their tackles so far - and they've gone in for plenty. This is not a bad tactic away from home, but they'll want to play some football too or they could find themselves a goal and a man down.
CLOSE! Great strike from Hosogai, who was found by Skjelbred, from about 25 yards. However, he cut is foot across it and it was always spinning wide. Then Ron-Robert Zieler parries the ball away from a Hosogai shot from the left and the rebound is just missed by Ramos who threw a boot at it.
Still Hertha press and still Hannover play it long. Stindl completely mishits a pass and the visitors get control again. Really nice back-heel from Allagui to Hosagai, but eventually the move breaks down and the hosts counter.
CLOSE! Ya Konan's eyes light up on the edge of the box, but his shot is deflected high into the air and down into the path of Stindl. His shot takes a touch off a defender and goes wide - otherwise it was in.
GOAL! Hannover 1-0 Hertha (Christian Schulz)
Schulz scores with sheer power. Hosogai fails to clear a cross and it falls to Schulz, who puts his foot through it in typical old-fashioned style. It beats Kraft after going through a couple of legs and the hosts lead!
That goal was harsh on the visitors, who up to that point were looking most likely to score. Hannover took advantage of their pressure and now Hertha have a very tough task ahead of them.
Sobiech makes himself known with a big arm as he jumped with Van Den Bergh. That's about all he's done so far. Then Andreasen does what he does, going in late on Allagui and Hertha have a good chance to swing it in.
Credit to the visitors, they've got straight back into the rhythm they had before. Ramos is coming deep for the ball, but as a cross came in he was not there in the box where he was needed.
CHANCE! Not the easiest of chances there for Sobiech, but he did well to poke goalwards. He shot almost instantly from Huszti pass inside, but it was low and straight at Kraft.
Zieler is the most active goalkeeper at the moment, claiming a few crosses and coming off his line well. He does like a punch, however, which occasionally gets him into trouble. Hannover are finding feet now with their passes, but Sakai is pinched away for a corner at the last minute by Schulz.
BOOKING: Allagui goes into the book for a high boot on Pocognoli. That's his first card in Hertha colours. Pocognoli went down a bit softly, but still Allagui ran the risk with that.
The end of the half is finishing as it started, with some niggly fouls. Andreasen pulls and pushes in the box to get on the end of a deep Sakai cross, but the referee saw him.
CHANCE: Could have been two there, but Hannover's players just weren't quite in the right place. The cross came in from Sakai but it was just behind Sobiech who tried to muscle his way to the ball.
Really good strength from Sobiech, who gets to the ball and tries to find Ya Konan in behind him. However, Hertha defend well and clear - they are a little desperate now at the back, can they hold on to the break?
HALF TIME: Hannover 1-0 Hertha Berlin
Hannover lead at the break, but there is convern over Ya Konan who is down on the pitch. He stretched for a tackle and landed nastily on his ankle, which seemed to buckle under him. That does not look good at all and I'd be surprised if he came back out for the second half.
There have been chances at either end, but arguably the best of them have gone to the side that is ahead. They took advantage of a build-up of pressure, while Hertha simply didn't with theirs earlier in the half.
Apart from the probable change of Ya Konan, I don't think either coach will alter anything tactically just yet. Hertha cannot be too upset with how they have played, but they need to create more genuine chances if they are to get level.
And there is the change. Edgar Prib, who was warming up during the break, comes on for the hosts. I think that's the only sub.
KICKOFF: We're back underway. The latest from Ya Konan is that he's off to the hospital for scans. I did think it looked horrible, but hopefully it's not a break. You can always tell - he stayed still and immediately called for the physio.
Slow start to the half, although Hannover have seen more of the ball. No shots to speak of, but plenty of tackles from both teams. Sakai finds Huszti, whose cross is flicked to no-one by Schalaudraff.
BOOKING: Schulz is booked for the visitors for fair hauling back Prib as he went to break. Prib could have got quite far, so Schulz definitely took one for the team there.
BOOKING: The referee is starting to lose control of this. Stindl now is booked for a very, very slight touch on Hosogai. That's definitely not enough for a yellow card, if you ask me.
Strong shout for a penalty there for the visitors, as Sakai looked to have brought down Ramos. The referee was convinced that he got a touch, but I'm not so sure. Straight up the other end Hannover win a corner.
HANNOVER SUB: It's end-to-end now, as Hertha win a corner from Pocognoli. Leonardo Bittencourt is coming on for Shlaudraff. That will be a change of system as Bittencourt will go out wide.
OFF THE POST! Oh dear, that should be the leveller! Marcelo makes a mistake which allows Ramos in down the left. He looks up and finds Ben-Hatira who somehow hits the post from about eight yards! Dreadful miss.
BOOKING: Hertha are really going for it now as Schulz drives down the left. He thinks he's won a corner, but Zieler stops it going out. There's yet another yellow, this time for Langkamp who went in from the side and brought down Bittencourt. Fair enough.
Hannover have finally come into the half, but still the final pass is lacking. This time Bittencourt looks for Prib, but it's overhit and goes out of play.
Chance to break for Hannover as Huszti drives through the middle. He has Sobiech just to his right but gets his pass all wrong and Hertha win it back. They had four on three there but it was wasted. At the other end Ramos's shot is blocked.
Good ball from Ben-Hatira who finds Allagui down the right, but his cross-field ball is put out of play by Stindl. Hertha win a corner, which Skjelbred takes, but Zieler is out to claim commandingly.
CHANCE! Sobiech has a chance to wrap it up. Prib finds Huszti and Sobiech meets his cross but puts it over. At the other end Schulz fizzes in a cross but is put behind by Marcelo at the far post. Good end in prospect here.
CHANCE! That was the chance! Good possession football outside the box between Ben-Hatira and Allagui. The ball is passed to Ramos by Skjelbred, but he somehow misses to the left when wide open in the box. A sitter.
A rare foray forward from the hosts there, which ends with a free kick being headed away. The visitors have 15 minutes to create another chance like the one that fell to Ramos a couple of minutes ago.
HERTHA SUBS: Frustration is setting in from both sides and there are once more a number of fouls being committed. Ronny and Sandro Wagner are coming on for Allagui and Ramos. Ronny is not a bad player to be able to bring on.
GOAL! Hannover 1-1 Hertha (Ronny)
What did I tell you?! What an unbelievable strike that is from Ronny. He takes a long run up at a free kick and smashes it through the wall and into the top corner. Zieler did not move, the wall could have done better, but take nothing at all away from that strike.
BOOKING: Marcelo is booked in the aftermath for a late foul, just after the game was restarted.
HERTHA SUB: The visitors, who are doing all the pressing now, replace Pekaric with Christoph Janker.
Can either side get the win here? Only Hertha would deserve it as they have been on top all half, but you never know with Hannover at home - they can always score.
SAVE! Late pressure from Hannover and they think they've scored! Sobiech powers a header goalwards and Kraft manages to dive and tip it over. Great stop. Meanwhile, Deniz Kadah comes on for Andreasen. We will have two added minutes.
FULL TIME: Hannover 1-1 Hertha Berlin
Hannover's 100% start at home comes to an end, and that was a really well deserve point for the visitors. It was a fine game of football and really Hannover got away with it after that second half.
Thanks for joining me for the action. The weekend's Bundesliga continues tomorrow and Sunday, so please do come back for results, commentaries and reaction! Auf Wiedersehen.
Written by
Matt Domm
Matt Domm
