Bundesliga Wrap: Braunschweig boost survival hopes with derby win

Eintracht Braunschweig moved two points adrift of safety in the Bundesliga with a 3-0 derby win over fellow strugglers Hannover on Sunday.

Torsten Lieberknecht’s men have displayed promising form of late and picked up another crucial three points at the Eintracht Stadion with a comprehensive win over 10-man Hannover.

Having been quick out of the blocks, Dominick Kumbela and Havard Nielsen put the hosts two goals to the good after just 21 minutes in the fiercely-contested Niedersachsen Derby.

Things got worse for the visitors when Andre Hoffmann was sent off for kicking out at Omar Elabdellaoui before Jan Hochscheidt made sure of the points a minute from time.

While Braunschweig remain bottom, they are now just two points off 15th-placed Stuttgart with Hannover and Freiburg also in danger of being dragged into the relegation places, both on 29 points.

Goalscorer Nielsen told the club’s official website: “Today, we have shown a lot of passion on the pitch.

“I am very happy with my second goal at the Eintracht Stadion. I knew how important the game is and also what a win means for everyone involved.”

In Sunday’s other game, the spoils were shared between Hertha Berlin and Hoffenheim in the capital as the hosts ended their four-match losing run in the Bundesliga with a 1-1 draw.

Sami Allagui opened the scoring for Hertha with a deft curling finish after just 11 minutes but it was not long before the free-scoring visitors hit back.

Hoffenheim are joint second highest goalscorers in the top flight – level on 64 with Borussia Dortmund – and they equalised thanks to Eugen Polanski’s strike after half an hour.