Werder Bremen beat Hannover in a thrilling North German derby on Sunday afternoon courtesy of a late winner from Santiago Garcia.
The visitors took the lead through a Szabolcs Huszti penalty, before Bremen levelled from the spot with Aaron Hunt keeping his cool.
A Cedric Makiadi header was cancelled out by a fine strike from Hiroki Sakai still in the first half, before a battling second 45 was won late on by Garcia.
Read how the action unfolded below.
Hello, hello! Thanks for joining me here for the second game of the afternoon. Werder Bremen vs. Hannover. No time for anything except the teams - so here they are.
WERDER XI: Mielitz; Garcia, Caldirola, Lukimya, Fritz; Makiadi, Kroos, Selassie, Elia, Junuzovic; Hunt
HANNOVER XI: Zieler; Sakai, Sane, Schulz, Pocognoli; Andreasen, Hoffmann; Stindl, Prib, Huszti; Sobiech
KICKOFF: We're underway here, and let's hope for as good a game as we saw a few moments ago!
It has been a good start by the hosts, who have started by pressing high up the pitch. Aaron Hunt swings in what looks like a wicket corner but a red shirt manages to head it away from danger and the early pressure is seen off.
Sane looks in agony here as Eljero Elia goes in strongly from the side. There looked to be some sort of twist in his ankle there and he is in a lot of discomfort.
Hunt is adjudged to be offside there from a cross from the right, but he looked level to me. Back on comes Sane, who is not moving comfortable, although having seen the replay I'm surprised he's there at all.
CHANCE! Chance for the home team there as Mielitz makes a save and they break. The cross came in from the left by Makiadi but it was hooked clear well. It just needed a touch from a green shirt.
Werder still with much of the ball, but there has not been a clear chance for either side as yet. It's already becoming the sort of game that will require a moment of brilliance or a mistake.
PENALTY TO HANNOVER!
BOOKING! Clemens Fritz is booked, but that looked more like a coming together than anything else on Huszti.
GOAL! Werder 0-1 Hannover (Huszti, pen)
Huszti dusts himself down and steps up to guide the penalty low int he bottom corner. Mielitz went the right way, but it was too accurate. I'm still not convinced it was a penalty - Huszti certainly made the most of any coming together. It is, incidentally, Hannover's first away goal of the season.
PENALTY TO WERDER! Sane is booked for bringing down Elia. He did the classic swan dive arms, but it was clumsy from Sane to stick his foot out, however little contact there was.
GOAL! Werder 1-1 Hannover (Aaron Hunt, pen)
Really good penalty from Hunt, who waited for Ron-Robert Zieler to make his move before slotting it into the other corner. Two goals from penalties and we're back to square one.
CLOSE! Hannover remain with just the one clean sheet so far this season. It's not good enough at the back, but Andreasen has almost scored one of the goals of the season. The ball was headed out to him from 30 yards out and his hooked volley goes about a foot wide! What a strike.
CHANCE! Prib should do better! It's another chance for the visitors but Prib's effort is weak and straight at Mielitz when he should have scored.
Felix Kroos takes a leaf out of his elder brother's book and goes for goal from distance. It takes a huge deflection and loops over Zieler's goal. From the corner the keeper comes out and makes a big claim.
HANNOVER SUB: Arthur Sobiech is coming off with an injury, and Deniz Kadah comes on for him.
Elia is full of pace as he breaks from a corner down the left, but he has too much to do with no support and ends up giving away a throw against Sakai.
GOAL! Werder 2-1 Hannover (Cedric Makiadi)
That is terrible defending to let Makiadi in unmarked. Hunt's cross goes to Junuzovic at the far post and he skews a shot into the ground, but it loops over Zieler and to Makiadi who heads in from a yard out. Appeals for offside, but he wasn't, and the hosts lead.
GOAL! Bremen 2-2 Hannover (Hiroki Sakai)
What a hit from Sakai! He has the ball some 30 yards from goal and with few option he rifles a strike in off the underside of the bar! It was central and really did catch Mielitz by surprise, but take nothing away from the strike. What a game this is.
Will we have another before the break? It wouldn't surprise me with a whole minute to go. If either team does score, it would be most likely to come from Hannover as they are on top right now.
HALF TIME: Werder Bremen 2-2 Hannover
What a half of football! This is why this is the most exciting league in Europe - who would ever have thought this game would have four goals by the break? It really could go either way in the second half as both sides are going for it.
The first two goals were penalties - each one fairly soft, it has to be said. When Werder went ahead through Makiadi you would have expected only one winner taking into account Hannover's away form. But they battled back and equalised almost immediately with Sakai's stunner.
I wouldn't expect either coach to change anything at the break. It has been good from both teams and any subs might disrupt the flow. It's worth seeing how it goes for the next 20 minutes or so.
The players are coming back out for the second half. Werder first - they look keen.
KICKOFF: We're back underway for the second 45.
Werder are looking a little shaky at the back here early on. Hannover cannot get through the middle, so Sakai crosses from the right, but Kadah puts his header over under pressure from his own teammate Hahn.
BOOKING: Selassie is brought down by Pocognoli, who is rightly booked for his foul. We're definitely going through a scrappy phase here.
Werder now are having a spell of possession and are ramping up the pressure slightly. Even so, they haven't had a real chance as yet in this half and Hannover are reasonably comfortable.
It might well take another set piece for either side to go ahead, and it did almost come as Huszti swung in a deep free kick. However, Mielitz did well to save down low from Andreasen's downward header.
BOOKING: Huszti is too quick for Fritz and the Werder man goes into the book for bringing him down. Worse, it's another free kick that Huszti will take. This time it comes back out to Stindl, who smacks his cross way behind the goal.
It's Zieler's turn to gather well from Hunt's free kick from quite some range. It was comfortable really and he made it look so. Elia then gets in and flicked over Sane, but his left-footed strike goes well wide.
WERDER SUB: Excellent goalkeeping again from Zieler. Selassie finds Fritz and his cross is deep, but well held at the far post. Davie Selke is on for Fritz, which means a bit more firepower up front.
MISS! It should be 3-2! Makiadi has the goal at his mercy following a goalmouth scramble and has the whole goal to aim at, but somehow strikes it over the bar! It was easier to score.
BOOKING: Huszti is booked for a foul just to the right of the box, on the edge, that Hunt is lining up to swing in. I don't think he has the angle for a shot.
He does, however, with a low shot through the wall but Zieler is alert and gets behind it well to hold on.
It's getting to the time that the next goal will be really important. Any goal won't leave a lot of time for another equaliser. It's Hannover at the moment looking better and they have a corner here.
CLOSE! Kadah meets the corner and having done so might think he could have done better. He gets it up but not quite down in time although it's not far over.
CHANCE! Huszti should score! He's found by Kadah and from an angle slices his shot well wide. A little bit more precision would have seen him put his side in front there.
SAVE! Zieler tested again and once more he is able to hold on well. Hunt drives into the box and shoots from an angle with his weaker foot, but Zieler is down and holds on.
I'm beginning to think we may well not see a winner. The players on the pitch look very worn out, which is not surprising as it has been a very high-tempo and physical match,
Interesting attempt there from Hoffmann. I think it was a cross, but from the corner of the box it went not too far over the bar. He might well have claimed it had it gone in, but I don't think he was going for goal.
WERDER SUB: Ozkan Yildirim comes on for Elia. I think Hannover will be glad to see the back of the Dutch Winger, as Kadah puts a cross from Pocognoli over the bar.
BOOKING: Kadah's frustration bubbles over as he goes into the book for clattering Garcia in an aerial duel. Hunt's free kick bobbles about a bit but Hannover manage to clear.
GOAL! Werder 3-2 Hannover (Garcia)
It's not pretty, but Robin Dutt won't mind one iota! Hannover are getting really sloppy at the back, with Andreasen this time giving away a foul. Hunt this time gets it right in the danger zone and after scramble Garcia pokes it in to surely win his side the game.
WERDER SUB: Lukas Schmitz makes his way on to the pitch for the potential matchwinner Garcia.
The new man Bittencourt meets a cross at the far post, but it's just too high for him and he cannot keep it down. Will we have a final goal?
Zieler is up for a late free kick. Bittencourt to take it but there is a foul from Sane followed by a yellow card for Hunt - I'm not sure why.
FULL TIME: Werder Bremen 3-2 Hannover
Dutt runs on to the pitch in delight. That win took every ounce of effort from his players. Hannover still cannot get anything away, but that was much improved. Thanks for joining me this afternoon - have a good evening one and all.
Written by
Matt Domm
Matt Domm
