96 devours Berliners

96 continued its impressive run of performances a the Niedersachsenstadion with a shocking 2-0 victory over the Berliners. After last weeks weeks difficult 4-1 loss to Bremen this was the perfect antidote and provides further cushion on the relegation concerns.

Dieter Hecking made two changes from last weeks starting eleven, bringing in Mike Hanke and Polish international Jacek Krzynówek in place of Mikael Forssell and Jan Rosenthal. Hertha showed the early attacking initiative with Robert Enke being called into action to save Raffael's effort via the supply of Patrick Ebert. Despite Hertha's early dominance, 96 took the lead a minute before the half-hour when Konstantin Rausch sent a perfect left-footed cross to the back post that ex Schalke-man Mike Hanke headed-in after escaping the Rodnei's marking. 96 doubled the lead at the sixty-second minute via a fast-paced counter-attack. With Hanke attacking on the right flank, his cross to Sergio Pinto into the box was laid off to Arnold Bruggink, who then drove the ball through Marc Stein's legs and into the net to make it 2-0. Lucien Favre then doubled substituted, bringing Valeri Domovchiyski and Gojko Kačar for Patrick Ebert and Maximilian Nicu looking for a way back in but there was no way through Hannover's defenders. A minute before the end Ukraine striker Andriy Voronin was shown a straight red as "die alte Dame" went home in tears with a 2-0 loss.