SV Darmstadt 98 play out draw with Hannover on Bundesliga return

Marcel Heller scored twice as SV Darmstadt 98 earned a point on their return to the Bundesliga in an entertaining 2-2 draw with Hannover.

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It was a cagey opening to the match as the two sides found it difficult to create space in the attacking third, but the match came to life just before the half-hour mark when Kenan Karaman headed against the crossbar from close range.

The lead was broken just two minutes later, but the first piece of quality came at the other end of the pitch, with Marcel Heller sprinting clear of a couple of defenders before cutting inside to curl past Ron-Robert Zieler.

Hannover responded well in the closing stages of the first half, and they were back on level terms after the break when summer signing Charlison Benschop converted Mevlut Erdinc's cross at the near post.

However, Darmstadt were soon in front again when Heller won possession high up the pitch before taking the ball past Zieler to tap it into an empty net.

The drama continued on the hour mark when Aytac Sulu tripped Erdinc inside the box, but the Hannover forward, who joined from Saint-Etienne earlier in the transfer window, could only hit a tame penalty straight at Christian Mathenia.

Celebrations soon turned to disappointment for the home side as Sulu made another mistake as he diverted the ball past a helpless Mathenia while attempting to clear a free kick.

Both teams pushed for the winner in the closing stages of a thrilling game, but there would be no late twist as Darmsadt collected a point after 33 years away from the Bundesliga.