Hannover missed the chance to claim their first victory of 2015 as Zlatko Junuzovic earned a 1-1 draw for Werder Bremen to prevent Michael Frontzeck's side from climbing out of the Bundesliga's bottom three.
It was the hosts who piled the pressure on from the first whistle, but it looked set to be another frustrating afternoon as Salif Sane fired over shortly before Jimmy Briand sent an effort wide of the post.
However, they were rewarded for an impressive start midway through the first half when Briand flicked the ball on for Lars Stindl, who found the space to convert from close range.
Hannover remained comfortable until the half-time interval, and only a speculative 25-yard strike from Clemens Fritz forced Ron-Robert Zieler into action before the break.
Bremen quickly improved to put the hosts onto the back foot in the second half, but chances were difficult to come by as Sane fired a shot straight at Koen Casteels from a promising position.
The equaliser arrived with 12 minutes of normal time remaining, and Zieler was left helpless in the Hannover goal as Junuzovic stepped up to curl home an unstoppable free kick.
Hannover were left shocked by the setback and Junuzovic almost repeated the trick a few minutes later when he sent another free kick just over the crossbar, but his goal proved to be enough to keep the hosts in the bottom three.
Callum Mulvihill
