Bundesliga wrap: Wins for Hannover, Leverkusen

Didier Ya Konan has scored twice as Hannover thumped Nuremberg 4-1 to take third spot in the Bundesliga.

Szabolcs Huszti was the other star for Hannover as the Hungarian winger set up two goals and scored a third in the northern club’s big win.

Hannover’s first goal came in the 21st minute with Jan Schlaudraff getting clear down the right-hand side, crossing to Huszti, who found space at the back post and then teed up Lars Stindl to crack the ball into the top corner of the net.

Huszti created the second goal for himself; stealing the ball off Nuremberg defender Per Nilsson in the 29th minute and then sprinting clear to score from a tight angle.

A similar defensive error led to Hannover’s third goal seven minutes after half-time with Ya Konan pressuring Nilsson and then eventually getting the better of the Swede and Nuremberg goalkeeper Raphael Schafer to score.

Ya Konan’s second goal came through a counterattack in the 64th minute with the Ivory Coast striker set up by a left-wing cross from Huszti.

Timothy Chandler scored a goal for Nuremberg in the 73rd minute but the visitors never had a genuine chance for a comeback.

Hannover moved to third in the Bundesliga with Wednesday’s win, three points behind second-placed Eintracht Frankfurt.

Borussia Moenchengladbach have continued their poor start to the season with a 2-2 draw against Hamburg.

Gladbach, who finished fourth last season, needed a stoppage-time equaliser from Alvaro Dominguez to secure the draw.

Rafael van der Vaart scored Hamburg’s opening goal in the 23rd minute to put them 1-0 in front away from home, with Gladbach’s Martin Stranzl providing an equaliser with six minutes before half-time.

But Hamburg were ahead at the break thanks to a goal from Artoms Rudnevs in the final minute of the first half.

Gladbach lost Stranzl to a straight red card in the 53rd minute but got a share of the points when Juan Arango set up Dominguez in the 91st minute.

Meanwhile, Hoffenheim claimed a 3-0 victory away to Stuttgart, Werder Bremen defeated Freiburg 2-1 and Bayer Leverkusen beat Augsburg 3-1.