Bayern Munich 5 – Hannover 96 0

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Norway international striker MOHAMMED ABDELLAOUE (25) of Hannover 96, the 27-year-old native of Oslo who has scored 25 goals in 64 Bundesliga games for the Lower Saxon club since transferring from IF Valerenga in August of 2010, and Bayern Munich’s Spain international midfielder JAVIER MARTINEZ engage in an aerial duel during the Bundesliga match witnessed by 71,000 spectators at the Allianz Arena in the southern German state of Bavaria.
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11/24/12
Bundesliga
Spieltag # 13

5 – BAYERN MUNICH ——— Martinez 3′, Kroos 24′, Ribery 37′, Dante 63′, Gomez 67′
0 – HANNOVER 96

A spectacular, overhead-kick goal from an early corner by the new record Bundesliga signing and an equally sensational scissors-kick strike little more than twenty minutes later started record German champion and current top flight leaders BAYERN MUNICH on the road to a 5-0 rout of visiting HANNOVER 96 in first division football from Deutschland.

The Bavarians took the game straight to their guests from Lower Saxony and Hannover 96′s Germany international goalkeeper RON-ROBERT ZIELER was quickly needed to turn a shot from national team constituent and Bayern Munich winger THOMAS MUELLER nicely around the post. But Spain international midfielder JAVIER MARTINEZ, the 24-year-old who smashed the existing Bundesliga record with his 40.0 million Euro transfer from La Liga club Athletic Bilbao earlier this season, pulled off an smashing, overhead-bicycle kick with a lose ball in the box from the resulting corner kick. An amazing, first-ever goal for Bayern Munich brought off by the new boy Martinez, then.

Germany international TONI KROOS compounded the misery of visiting Hannover 96 with a fabulously side-volleyed finish after Bayern Munich fullback and fellow Deutschland-Laenderspieler PHILIPP LAHM lofted a ball into the box in the 21st minute. A fifth Bundesliga strike and a seventh goal in all competitons for the Bavarians’ 22-year-old central midfielder left the visitors looking at an even larger deficit. A third unanswered strike for the current table-toppers by France World Cup winger FRANCK RIBERY before the halftime whistle had even been blown gave Hannover 96 absolutely no real hope of any comeback against mighty Bayern Munich.

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Hannover 96 netminder RON-ROBERT ZIELER (1), the former youth team product of traditional English Premier League powerhouse Manchester United who has collected a pair of caps for the senior German national team thus far in his young career, makes a save to prevent another goal from Bayern Munich’s experienced France World Cup winger FRANCK RIBERY during the lopsided Bundesliga contest at the Allianz Arena in Bavaria.
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Brazilian central defender DANTE, the 29-year-old who has been so influential at the back for the Bavarians since his bargain 4.7 million Euro purchase from Borussia Moenchengladbach this past summer, got his name on the scoresheet just after the hour with his first-ever goal for Bayern Munich.

Even Germany international MARIO GOMEZ, the prolific striker making his 2012/13 season debut this season after a long spell on injury shelf, got into the act only a minute after coming onto the pitch as a second half substitute for Croatia international striker MARIO MANDZUKIC, the 26-year-old, off-season signing from Vfl Woflsburg who leads Bayern Munich this term with nine goals in the German top flight. Gomez, who led the record German champions with 26 goals in the Bundesliga and totaled 41 goals in all compeitions last season, had missed all the Bavarians’ matches this term after undergoing ankle surgery in early August. But the the 27-year-old striker was still able to deftly curl around the beleaguered Zieler after losing his marker, Hannover 96′s experienced Tunisia international defender KARIM HAGGUI.

There is little question that the competent Hannover 96 goalkeeper Zieler, who had a hatful of saves with Bayern Munich generating fourteen shots on target, did everything possible to keep the contest from getting completely out of hand for the Lower Saxon visitors.

And so, Bayern Munich storms to an impressive 11th victory against a solitary loss after thirteen rounds of this historic 50th Bundesliga season with a pivotal clash with two-time defending champion Borussia Dortmund still on the horizon before the annual Winterpause begins; currently, the Bavarian side trained by JUPP HEYNCKES maintains a nine-point lead in the table against the team from North Rhine-Westphalia that has lifted the Meisterschale the past two seasons.

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Hannover 96 midfielder LARS STINDL (28) shields the ball from France World Cup winger FRANCK RIBERY of Bayern Munich, the Fabulous Frenchman who registered his fourth goal in the German top flight and fifth in all competitions this term with the precision strike against the visitors from Lower Saxony in the first half, during the Bundelsiga match at the always sold-out Allianz Arena.
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BAYERN MUNICH : Neuer – Lahm, Dante, Badstuber, Alaba – Martinez, Schweinsteiger (Tymoshchuk 70′) – Mueller (Shaqiri 75′), Kroos, Ribery – Mandzukic (Gomez 66′)

HANNOVER 96 : Zieler – Cherundolo, Eggimann, Haggui, Rausch – Stindl, Schmiedebach (Schulz 41′), Pinto, Huszti – Sobiech (Abdellaoue 46′), Diouf (Nikci 79′)

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Bayern Munich 2 – Hannover 96 1

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Holland World Cup winger ARJEN ROBBEN of Bayern Munich, the Dangerous Dutchman who bagged a brace for the Netherlands in a recent friendly against England at storied Wembley Stadium, and Hannover 96 fullback CHRISTIAN PANDER (24), the 28-year-old who scored for Germany on his senior international debut versus England at London’s world-renowned Wembley Stadium several years ago, jockey for position during the Bundesliga match at the sold-out Allianz Arena in rainy Bavaria.
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3/24/12
Bundesliga
Spieltag # 27

2 – BAYERN MUNICH ————— Kroos 36′, Gomez 68′
1 – HANNOVER 96 ——————– Ya Konan 74′

A pair of goals on either side of the halftime whistle and a diving save from Germany’s first choice to prevent an embarrassing own goal late in the match enabled record champion BAYERN MUNICH to hold off stubborn HANNOVER 96 at home 2-1 and maintain its hopes in the Bundesliga title race.

Bayern Munich trainer JUPP HEYNCKES courageously used the occasion to rest a pair of pivotal Germany internationals, striker MARIO GOMEZ and midfielder THOMAS MUELLER, and gave first team opportunities to the two seldom-used, veteran Croatia internationals IVICA OLIC and DANIJEL PRANJIC. Neither player had started a match all season for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga although Olic had appeared as a substitute in 15 of the Bavarians’s first 26 games this term. Both Croats are, quite understandably, concerned about match fitness ahead of the 2012 UEFA European Championships final tournament this summer.

France World Cup winger FRANCK RIBERY missed a glorious chance to send Bayern Munich in front and register a career-high twelfth goal in the Bundesliga this season after a fabulous right down the right wing by Germany World Cup fullback PHILIPP LAHM. The diminutive Frenchman, however, was heavily involved in the opener after a jaunt of his own down the left flank in the 36th minute. Holland World Cup winger ARJEN ROBBEN then squared for Germany international midfielder TONI KROOS, who took advantage of Hannover 96′s over-anxious and rapidly-advancing goalkeeper RON-ROBERT ZIELER to net his fourth goal in the top flight and eighth strike in all competitions for Bayern Munich this term.

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Croatia international IVICA OLIC of Bayern Munich, the 32-year-old striker who has recorded just two goals in 22 Bundesliga games the past two seasons after scoring 11 goals in 29 top flight matches for Bayern Munich his first term following a transfer from SV Hamburg in the summer of 2009, blasts a ball towards the net with Hannover 96′s angle-cutting Germany international goalkeeper RON-ROBERT ZIELER at close quarters during the Bundesliga match at the Allianz Arena in rainy Bavaria.
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Heynckes withdrew Olic, who missed an absolute sitter that would have doubled the score towards the end of the first half, and sent on the Bundesliga’s leading goal-scorer shortly after the hour. Gomez immediately set about the business of providing the Bavarians some insurance and soon rocketed a shot off the post that rebounded off Zieler and nearly rolled across the line. The reprieve of the Hannover 96 shot-stopper, however, was very short-lived.

The influential Kroos, operating in the role of central attacking midfielder on this day, distributed a simple ball into space on the right in the 68th minute. Super Mario obligingly collected and turned Hannover 96′s veteran defender CHRISTIAN PANDER completely inside-out before stroking the ball past the outstretched Zieler. A 23rd goal of this Bundesliga season for Gomez looked to be about it for visiting Hannover 96.

But the Lower Saxon club pulled one back after second half substitute JAN SCHLAUDRAFF, the 28-year-old veteran with three caps for Germany who spent the 2007/08 campaign with Bayern Munich, flighted over a cross in the 74th minute. Senegal international striker MAME BIRAM DIOUF, signed by Hannover 96 for a reported 1.5 million English pounds this winter from traditional Premier League giant Manchester United, beat Bayern Munich’s Germany international defender JEROME BOATENG, a summer signing for the Bavarians this summer from Manchester City, in the air to knock the ball down. Ivory Coast international striker DIDIER YA KONAN, who scored 14 goals for Hannover 96 last term but has had his production decline radically this season, netted nicely with an overhead kick to recorded his third goal of this 2011/12 Bundesliga schedule.

Germany World Cup goalkeeper MANUEL NEUER had almost conceded an embarassing opener in the first half after forgetting that he is neither a Libero nor the legendary Kaiser Franz Beckenbauer. The Bayern Munich netminder more than made amends, though, late in the match after Boateng inadvertantly sent a ball towards the Bavarian goal at pace. And, thus, all three points were safely secured.

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Senegal international striker MAME BIRAM DIOUF (39) of Hannover 96, the 24-year-old who has scored six goals in nine games for the Lower Saxony side since being bought in late January from English Premier League powerhouse Manchester United, is tackled by Bayern Munich’s Brazilian international midfielder LUIZ GUSTAVO while Germany World Cup goalkeeper MANUEL NEUER (1), who performed so brilliantly in mid-week opposite Borussia Moenchengladbach in the semifinals of the Deutscher Fussball Bund Pokal, comes sliding off his line to cope with the loose ball during the Bundesliga match at the always sold-out Allianz Arena in Bavaria.
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BAYERN MUNICH : Neuer – Lahm, Boateng, Badstuber, Alaba – Luiz Gustavo, Pranjic (Tymoshchuk 57′) – Robben, Kroos (Mueller 78′), Ribery – Olic (Gomez 61′)

HANNOVER 96 : Zieler – Cherundolo, Eggimann, Pogatetz, Pander – Schmiedebach, Pinto (Schlaudraff 61′) – Stindl, Rausch – Abdellaoue (Ya Konan 66′), Diouf

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Hannover 96 2 – Bayern Munich 1

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France World Cup winger FRANCK RIBERY of Bayern Munich (center) seeks to split the Hannover 96 pair of midfielder LARS STINDL (28) as well as United States World Cup defender and club captain STEVE CHERUNDOLO during the Bundesliga match at the AWD Arena in Lower Saxony.
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10/23/11
Bundesliga
Spieltag # 10

2 – HANNOVER 96 —————– Abdellaoue pen 23′, Pander 50′
1 – BAYERN MUNICH ———— Alaba 83′

A topsy-turvy match featuring everything from sensational saves to spectacular misses, balls rebounding off the proverbial woodwork to players from both sides being sent off by the refereee, saw home-standing HANNOVER 96 hold off visiting table-toppers BAYERN MUNICH 2-1 in the German Bundesliga.

Perhaps it was just not to meant to be Bayern Munich’s day. Youthful Germany international midfielder TONI KROOS, the 21-year-old who has already scored twice for Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League this fall but has failed to find the back of the net in the Bundesliga this season, smashed a right-footed shot from outside the box off the crossbar. Shortly thereafter, United States World Cup defender and Hannover 96 club captain STEVE CHERUNDOLO was felled in the penalty area.

Norway international striker MOHAMMED ABDELLAOUE made no mistake from the spot to score his seventh goal of this Bundesliga season and send Hannover 96 to the 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute.

The expulsion of Germany international defender JEROME BOATENG as a result of an altercation meant Bayern Munich would have to play for more than an hour with only ten men; still, it was the hosts who conceded possesion and territory while content to play for the counter but the Bavarians found Hannover 96 goalkeeper RON-ROBERT ZIELER, the one-time Manchester United reserve who made a fair case for Man of the Match, to be in top form.

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Immediately after the break, Germany international striker and last term’s Bundesliga Torjaegermeister MARIO GOMEZ had a pair of bona-fide chances to bring Bayern Munich level. But the promising Zieler blocked both efforts from this season’s leading goal-scorer in the top flight, the second from point-blank range. Once again, the home side would make the visitors pay dearly for the missed opportunities.

28-year-old veteran midfielder CHRISTIAN PANDER, who left Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen on a free transfer this summer, benefited enormously from a deflection of his long shot and beat his Koenigsblauen colleague from last season, Bayern Munich goalkeeper MANUEL NEUER, to score a second goal for Hannover 96 in the 50th minute.

Bayern Munich continued to attack, nevertheless, and were delighted to have the Hannover Spielfuehrer Cherundolo shown a second yellow card shortly after the hour. Trainer JUPP HEYNCKES withdrew Brazil international right back RAFINHA in favor of Austria international winger DAVID ALABA, which paid off after the 19-year-old cooly slotted home a square ball from Germany World Cup defender and club captain PHILIPP LAHM to score his first-ever Bundesliga goal for Bayern Munich in the 83rd minute. In the end, Heynckes went for broke and left three men at the back by exchanging Germany international defender HOLGER BADSTUBER for yet another attacking player in striker NILS PETERSEN, but all to no avail.

Bayern Munich could have still very easily gotten something from match, but Germany World Cup midfielder BASTIAN SCHWEINSTEIGER’s shot off the post late somehow summed up this Bundesliga affair for the Bavarians best.

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Hannover 96 veteran midfielder CHRISTIAN PANDER, the twice-capped Germany international who scored what proved to be the match-winner with the help of a beneficial deflection, battles for the ball with Bayern Munich’s Germany World Cup midfielder BASTIAN SCHWEINSTEIGER during the Bundesliga match at the AWD Arena in Lower Saxony.
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HANNOVER 96 : Zieler – Cherundolo, Haggui, Pogatetz, Schulz (Rausch 46′) – Schmiedebach, Pinto – Stindl, Pander – Schlaudraff (Chahed 71′), Abdellaoue (Ya Konan 79′)

BAYERN MUNICH : Neuer – Rafinha (Alaba 68′), Boateng, Badstuber (Petersen 87′), Lahm – Luiz Gustavo, Schweinsteiger – Mueller, Kroos, Ribery – Gomez (Olic 83′)

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Hannover 96 : Spieler Bericht 2011/12

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Hannover 96 goalkeeper RON-ROBERT ZIELER (1), the former Germany youth international who has been recently been called up to the senior side, punches the ball away from Borussia Dortmund’s attacking pair of Germany international defender MATS HUMMEL and Serbia international NEVEN SUBOTIC (right) during the Bundesliga match this past September at the AWD Arena in Lower Saxony.
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SPORTVEREIN HANNOVER 96 are one of Germany’s older football clubs, having been originally founded one hundred and fifteen years ago in 1896. Although Hannover 96 have been national champions twice, in 1938 and 1954, the club from Lower Saxony have never lifted the Bundesliga Meisterschale. Last season’s fourth place finish in the top flight was the team’s best-ever showing since the national league was inaugurated; previously, Hannover 96 had come in fifth at the conclusion of the 1964-65 campaign.

Hannover 96, who have a place in Europe this season for only the second time in history, also hold the unique distinction of being the only club since the Bundesliga was first formed in 1963 to capture the D.F.B. Pokal (German Cup) while competing in the second division.

Under the tutelage of trainer MIRKO SLOMKA Hannover 96 have not lost at home in eight matches this season, including European competition, although four of those results have been ties.

Norway international striker MOHAMMED ABDELLAOUE, the 25-year-old who scored 10 goals in 26 Bundesliga games last term in his first season in Germany after arriving from IF Valerenga for a transfer fee of 1.2 million Euros, is off to a very good start having scored six goals in his first six league contests to open this campaign; overall, Abdellaoue has found the back of the net ten times for Hannover 96 in all competitions this season.

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Ivory Coast international DIDIER YA KONAN (11) of German club Hannover 96, who has scored 24 goals in 61 Bundesliga matches since arriving from Norwegian outfit BK Rosenborg Trondheim in August of 2009, looks to dispossess Senegalese winger PAPA PATE DIOUF (13) of Danish side FC Copenhagen during the UEFA Europa League Group B match earlier this week at the AWD Arena in Lower Saxony.
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Ivory Coast international DIDIER YA KONAN, who scored a career-high 14 goals in 28 Bundesliga starts to lead Hannover 96 last season, has struggled to get a place this season. The 27-year-old striker has accounted for just one goal this term, although it was the match-winner that struck down defending champion Borussia Dortmund. Ya Konan has appeared with the Startelf in three of the last four Bundesliga matches for Hannover 96.

Germany international striker JAN SCHLAUDRAFF, the 28-year-old veteran who failed to score while playing in just eight Bundesliga matches for Bayern Munich during the 2007-08 campaign, has been in good form and started eight of the first nine league games up front for Hannover 96.

The Lower Saxony club signed Poland international striker ARTUR SOBIECH from KS Polonia Warsaw this summer for the transfer fee of 1.1 million Euros but, thus far, the 21-year-old has managed just one substitute appearance in the Bundesliga and UEFA Europa League, respectively, for Hannover 96.

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Germany international striker JAN SCHLAUDRAFF of Hannover 96, who left Bayern Munich after one season to sign with the Lower Saxon club for a transfer fee of 2.5 million Euros in July of 2008, peels off after firing the winner past FC Sevilla’s Spain international goalkeeper and 37-year-old club captain ANDRES PALOP during the first leg of the UEFA Europa League playoff tie this past August at the AWD Arena in Hannover.
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23-year-old LARS STINDL, who scored two goals in the Lower Saxon club’s 6-0 lopsided D.F.B. Pokal win over FC Anker Wiesmar to begin the season, has been ever-present on the right side of midfield in all 15 matches for Hannover 96 this term; 21-year-old KONSTANTIN RAUSCH, a former youth international for Germany, has appeared in every game and scored one goal while starting eleven in all competitons on the left.

31-year-old Portuguese-born SERGIO PINTO, who put his name on the scoresheet against visiting Danish side FC Copenhagen in the UEFA Europa League earlier this week, and 22-year-old MANUEL SCHMIEDEBACH are the regulars in defensive midfield for Hannover 96.

Hannover 96 added Austria international midfielder DANIEL ROYER from Austrian Bundesliga club SV Ried for 1.0 million Euros this summer but the 21-year-old has made but a single substitute appearance thus far. 26-year-old Norway international midfielder HENNING HAUGER, bought from JK Staebek Baerum for 450,000 Euros in the off-season, has played a bit more but not much. 24-year-old midfielder MORITZ STOPPELKAMP also scored two goals in the D.F.B. Pokal opener but has mostly been deployed off the bench since.

35-year-old veteran ALTIN LALA, who has earned 78 caps and scored three goals for Albania in his career, has mostly been restricted to a reserve role for Hannover 96 while 29-year-old Carlos Alberto Alves Garcia (CARLITOS), the one-time Portugal U-21 international who has made just six appearances in the Bundesliga since signing on a free transfer from Swiss side FC Basel in the summer of 2010, has not played at all for the trainer Slomka this season.

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Hannover 96 midfielder KONSTANTIN RAUSCH (34), the native of the former Soviet Union who started all 34 games and scored five goals in the Bundesliga last season for the Lower Saxon club, fends off the challenge of FC Sevilla’s Mali international striker FREDERIC KANOUTE during the second leg of the UEFA Europa League playoff tie this past August at the Stadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan in the Andalusian region of Spain.
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RON-ROBERT ZIELER, who had a couple of seasons in the first team squad for English Premier League powerhouse Manchester United before returning to Germany to start last season, displaced the since-departed FLORIAN FROMLOWITZ as first choice for Hannover 96 last January. The 22-year-old has also worked his way into national team trainer Joachim Loew’s side, as well. 29-year-old MARKUS MILLER, who made 61 appearances in the Bundesliga and almost exactly twice as many in the second divison with SC Karlsruhe before arriving in the summer of 2010, is the understudy. 18-year-old Austrian SAMUEL RADLINGER has been signed from SV Ried for 250,000 Euros also.

28-year-old Austria international EMMANUEL PAGATETZ and 27-year-old Tunisia international KARIM HAGGUI have been fixtures in the center of defense for Hannover 96 this term. 28-year old veteran CHRISTIAN SCHULZ, who has been capped four times in his career by Germany, is the regular left back. 27-year-old CHRISTIAN PANDER, the free transfer from Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen who has two caps for Germany to his credit, has been appearing – usually as a substitute – at both left back and in midfield.

Two-time United States World Cup veteran and club captain STEVE CHERUNDOLO, who has played 262 games in the Bundesliga over the of his long career with Hannover 96, has been sharing the right back spot this season with 28-year-old Tunisia international SOFIAN CHAHED; the American has been in the Startelf for Slomka for three of the last four matches in all competitions.

30-year-old Switzerland international MARIO EGGIMANN has been the only other defender to see action at all for the Lower Saxony side this season whereas 28-year-old Denmark international LEON ANDREASEN has done nothing but collect splinters for Hannover 96.

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United States World Cup defender and club captain STEVE CHERUNDOLO (6) of Hannover 96, who signed with the then-2.Bundesliga club in 1999 after just two years at the University of Portland, halts the progress of Cameroon international striker ERIC MAXIM CHOUPO-MOTING (10) of FSV 05 Mainz during the Bundesliga match this past August at the AWD Arena in Lower Saxony.
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HANNOVER 96
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Arriving
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gk – Samuel RADLINGER – Austria ——————— fr SV Ried (Aut)
df — Christian PANDER – Germany int’l ————– fr Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen
mf – Henning HAUGER – Norway int’l —————- fr JF Staebek Baerum (Nor)
mf – Daniel ROYER – Austria int’l ———————– fr SV Ried (Aut)
fw — Artur SOBIECH – Poland int’l ———————- fr KS Polonia Warsaw (Pol)

Departing
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gk – Florian FROMLOWITZ ———————————- to MSV Duisburg
df — Felix BURMEISTER ————————————– to Arminia Bielefeld
mf – DaMarcus BEASLEY – United States int’l —— to FC Puebla (Mex)
mf – Willi EVSEEV ———————————————— to SC Wiener Neustadt (Aut)
fw — Mikael FORSSELL – Finland int’l ——————- released

Evseev is out on loan for the season

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Hannover 96 3- Bayern Munich 1

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Portuguese-born winger SERGIO PINTO of Hannover 96 shields the ball from Bayern Munich’s Holland World Cup winger ARJEN ROBBEN, who cost a reported 25.0 million Euros when acquired from Spanish giant Real Madrid in August of 2009, during the crucial Bundesliga contest at the AWD Arena in the German region of Lower Saxony. (Christian Charisius/Reuters)
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BUNDESLIGA
Spieltag # 25
3/5/2011

3 – Hannover 96 ——————— Abdellaoue 16, Rausch 51′, Pinto 63′
1 – Bayern Munich —————— Robben 55′

A goal roughly a quarter of an hour into the match afforded the hosts a lead which would never be relinquished as high-flying HANNOVER 96 dumped defending champions BAYERN MUNICH 3-1 to consolidate their hold on third place in the Bundesliga and the accompanying place in the UEFA Champions League for next season.

Hannover 96 entered the critical match with Bayern Munich missing its leading scorer for a second consecutive week. Ivory Coast international striker DIDIER YA KONAN tops die Roten and is tied for fourth place in all the Bundesliga with 11 goals this campaign. An ailing knee is still not fully fit, however.

All of which seemed to matter little when Norway international striker MOHAMMED ABDELLAOUE met the low cross of Hannover 96 left back KONSTANTIN RAUSCH at the near post in the 16th minute. A purchase of 1.4 million Euros from Valerenga Fotball this past summer, the 25-year-old striker stabbed the ball past Bayern Munich goalkeeper THOMAS KRAFT to send die Roten in front 1-0. The second-leading markman this term for Hannover 96, Abdellaoue pushed his account to seven goals in 18 Bundesliga games this season.

Rausch, the Russian-born creator of die Roten’s first goal, added an all-important second strike six minutes after the halftime break; the ball did take the slightest of deflections but still the youthful Kraft might have done better with the angled shot from outside the box on the right.

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(Johannes Eisele/AFP)
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Holland World Cup winger ARJEN ROBBEN provided Bayern Munich with some brief hope in the 55th minute. The Dangerous Dutchman appeared at the back post to head home the cross of France World Cup winger FRANCK RIBERY and halve Hannover’s advantage. In doing so, Robben recorded his fifth goal in seven Bundesliga matches this season.

But a terrible goalkeeping error less than ten minutes later effectively ended the contest.

Hannover’s Portuguese-born winger SERGIO PINTO dispossed Robben in midfield and moved forward to fire a shot from roughly 25 yards straight at Kraft; the inexperienced Bayern Munich first choice promptly allowed the ball to squirt right through his hands and bounce over the line for an incredibly soft goal.

If that did not destroy Bayern Munich, the expulsion of Brazilian defender BRENO in the 73rd minute for a retaliation foul certainly finished the job.

Black times in Bavaria, to be certain — a third consecutive disappointment in a major engagement has left Bayern Munich in fifth place in the German top flight and the future of Dutch trainer LOUIS VAN GAAL in serious doubt with the season almost in complete shambles now.

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Hannover 96 defender CHRISTIAN SCHULZ, who has earned four caps for Deutschland already in his career, comes flying in a bid to prevent the cross of Bayern Munich captain and Germany World Cup fullback PHILIPP LAHM during the critical Bundesliga match at the AWD Arena in Lower Saxony. (Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images)
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HANNOVER 96 : Zieler – Cherundolo, Haggui, Pogatetz, Schulz – Schmiedebach, Pinto – Stindl (Eggimann 87′), Rausch (Chahed 77′) – Schlaudraff (Stoppelkamp 81′), Abdellaoue

BAYERN MUNICH : Kraft – Lahm, Tymoshchuk (van Buyten 46′), Badstuber (Ottl 46′), Breno – Kroos (Klose 69′), Pranjic – Robben, Mueller, Ribery – Gomez

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(Joerg Sarbach/DAPD)
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(Michael Sohn/AP)
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(Christian Charisius/Reuters)
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(Christian Charisius/Reuters)
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(Christian Charisius/Reuters)
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(Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images)
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(Johannes Eisele/AFP)
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(Christian Charisius/Reuters)
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(Johannes Eisele/AFP)
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MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

Zieler Ziegt Seine Form

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(Klaus Volkmann/imago/kicker.de)
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It was not that Hannover 96 and former Germany U-21 international goalkeeper FLORIAN FROMLOWITZ had played poorly during the first half of the Bundesliga season. It was just that one-time Germany U-19 international shot-stopper RON ROBERT ZIELER had been so exceptional during training sessions. And so during the Winterpause, Hannover 96 trainer MIRKO SLOMKA boldly decided to make the switch.

So far, the move has proved quite successful for the Lower Saxony club, who currently stand third in the Bundersliga after finishing 15th in the German top flight a season ago.

Zieler has conceded just four goals in his first-ever seven Bundesliga starts and the 22-year-old native of Koeln has also turned in clean sheets in three of the the last four contests for die Roten.

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Former Germany U-19 international goalkeeper RON ROBERT ZIELER of Hannover 96 makes a point blank save on Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen’s Peru international winger JEFFERSON FARFAN during the late January Bundesliga match at the AWD Arena in Lower Saxony. (Joern Pollex/Bongarts/Getty Images)
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Zieler joined the perennial English Premier League powerhouse in the summer of 2005 as a youth trainee. Two years later, the German youth international worked his way up to games for Manchester United’s senior reserve side. To start the 2008-09 campaign, Zieler was assigned a first team squad number (38) by the Red Devils for the initial time.

Of course, veteran international EDWIN VAN DER SAR, the record holder for caps in the Netherlands, has been first choice at Manchester United for quite some time. And Poland international TOMASZ KUSZCZAK as well as the talented young Englishman BEN FOSTER have also been about Old Trafford in recent years. So the young German never did get a first team game in any competition for the Red Devils.

This past summer, Zieler ended his five-year stay in England and returned to Germany to sign with Bundesliga club Hannover 96 on a free transfer.

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(redforcerising.net)

Hannover 96 Hops Up To Second (For Now)

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With goalkeeper SVEN ULREICH of struggling Vfb Stuttgart looking back in despair, Ivory Coast international striker DIDIER YA KONAN of surprising Hannover 96 celebrates following his first goal of the match at the AWD Arena in Lower Saxony. (Nigel Treblin/DAPD
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Backed by a brace from Ivory Coast international striker DIDIER YA KONAN, high-flying HANNOVER 96 hopped up to second place in the Bundesliga if only for the time being with a 2-1 victory over visiting VFB STUTTGART in Friday Night Football from Germany.

Hannover 96 are just the third team to have reached the ten-win plateau in the German top flight this season after Herbstmeister Borussia Dortmund and now third-placed FSV 05 Mainz, another team that has caught the attention of many.

FSV 05 Mainz, on 30 points, will face UEFA Champions League Group B winners Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen on Sunday while Bayer Leverkusen, in fourth place with 29 points from 15 games, must travel north to face SV Hamburg on Saturday.

Ya Konan, easily Hannover 96′s leading scorer this season, grabbed his second goal for what proved to be the game-winning strike in the 76th minute, less than 120 seconds after Vfb Stuttgart defender GEORG NIEDERMEIER had leveled terms for the visitors.

Ya Konan, who registered nine goals in 25 games for the Lower Saxony club after coming down from Norwegian side BK Rosenborg Trondheim, has now matched his total from last term after playing 15 games for Hannover 96 this season; the 26-year-old attacker also extended his Bundesliga goal-scoring streak to three games.

Hannover 96 captain and United States World Cup defender STEVE CHERUNDOLO was injured and substituted in the 23rd minute; United States World Cup winger DAMARCUS BEASLEY did not make the Hannover 96 bench for the match.

DaMarcus Beasley Seeks Rebirth In Bundesliga

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After the expiration of his contract with Scottish giant Glasgow Rangers this summer, United States international winger DAMARCUS BEASLEY, a participant in three World Cup final tournaments, hooked on in Germany with HANNOVER 96, who are certainly turning heads in the Bundesliga this season. (Pixazz/goal.com)
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28-year-old winger DAMARCUS BEASLEY was on the bench for Hannover 96 today but remained unused in the American Bundesliga Derby with Borussia Moenchengladbach today.

Once upon a time, the United States international with 93 caps and 17 goals for his country, was a highly touted prospect for Uncle Sam. This past summer, the winger, who is at the age-point of what is usually the prime period for a given player’s career, made one lone appearance for the U.S. at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. And, as a substitute at that — Beasley came on in the 79th minute of the Americans’ dramatic 1-0 win over Algeria at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria.

Now, after finding himself out of contract following his third World Cup for the United States, Beasley is looking to get both his professional and international career back on track with high-flying Hannover 96 in the German Bundesliga.

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United States international winger DAMARCUS BEASLEY prepares to replace Peru international striker JEFFERSON FARFAN (17) for PSV Eindhoven in the Dutch Eredivisie; Farfan, with Schalke 04 Gelsenkirchen, now collects his paycheck in the German Bundesliga as does Beasley. (PSV/Pics United)
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Beasley enjoyed a standout first season in European professional football after signing with Dutch club PSV Eindhoven from Major League Soccer outfit Chicago Fire for a transfer fee of $ 2.5 million dollars in July of 2004.

The native of Fort Worth, Indiana, produced six goals while playing in 29 of 34 Eredivisie games as PSV Eindhoven won their 18th Dutch league title. The American winger also had the last minute, tying goal in the 2005 KNVB Cup Final against Feyenoord Rotterdam eventually won on penalties. Significantly, as well, Beasley led PSV with four goals in 12 contests as Eindhoven reached the semi-finals of the prestigous UEFA Champions League before falling to Italian Serie A power AC Milan.

Although PSV Eindhoven again won the Eredivise the next year, Beasley scored just four goals in 27 league games, however, and none in Europe; off-field distractions were a contributing factor to the decline as the United States international winger was involved in a drunk driving incident in January of 2006 which resulted in the loss of his Dutch license and a probationary period.

A disappointing season, then, for the American, who started 18 Eredivise contests — actually two more as compared to his rookie year in Dutch football — and was later ineffective on the whole for the United States at the 2006 FIFA World Cup that summer.

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United States international winger DAMARCUS BEASLEY of PSV Eindhoven looks to play the ball around the outstretched foot of FC Utrecht veteran defender ETIENNE SHEW-ATJON at the Phillips Stadion in the Netherlands. (PSV/Pics United)
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For the third season of a four-year contract, Beasley was sent out on loan by the Dutch club to English Premier League side Manchester City for the 2006-07 campaign.

A battle with injuries hampered the ability to achieve first team football upon initial arrival in England and Beasley’s inaugural goal did not arrive until a late December Premier League contest against West Ham United — although it was a match-winner.

Later, in April of 2007, the American added another game-winner by scoring Manchester City’s second goal in a 3-1 victory over Fulham Athletic at Craven Cottage in London.

Fulham Athletic featured no fewer than three United States World Cup players on that occasion. Defender CARLOS BOCANEGRA, who scored the only goal for Fulham and now turns out for AS St. Etienne in the French Ligue 1, and veteran striker BRIAN MCBRIDE, who led the Lilywhites with both nine Premier League goals as well as a dozen strikes in all competitions for 2006-07, were both in the starting XI for the Cottagers. And, forward CLINT DEMPSEY, who was second on Fulham with seven Premier League goals last season, came on as a second half subsitute.

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United States international winger DAMARCUS BEASLEY points into the crowd to signal his first career Football Association Cup goal in England as Manchester City defeated FC Southampton 3-1 in January of 2007. (bbc.co.uk)
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Beasley started eleven and appeared in 18 Premier League games with three goals for Manchester City while out on loan from PSV Eindhoven. Overall, the winger counted four goals on 22 appearances in all competitions during his time with the Blues. At the conclusion of the 2006-07 schedule, the loan spell expired and the 25-year-old returned to the Netherlands.

But not for long.

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United States international winger DAMARCUS BEASLEY of Manchester City signals what will prove to be his game-winning goal against Fulham Athletic in April of 2007 at Craven Cottage in London, England. (Sean Dempsey/AP)
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In July of 2007, PSV Eindhoven sold Beasley to Scottish giant Glasgow Rangers for 700,00 English pounds. The proud Rangers organization had previously had success with another American midfielder, the three-time World Cup final tournament participant CLAUDIO REYNA. Ironically enough, Beasley and Reyna had shared the same changing room at Manchester City that year.

Beasley’s time with Rangers began well enough as the American scored in a UEFA Champions League qualifying match against FK Zeta Golubovci of Montenegro in early August of 2007; thus, Beasley became the first United States player to ever score a goal for two different clubs in the prestigous European competition.

The U.S. international winger would have a first career Scottish Premier League goal by the end of August, as well.

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United States international winger DAMARCUS BEASLEY (20) of Glasgow Rangers shoots the ball past France World Cup goalkeeper HUGO LLORIS of Olympique Lyon for the final goal in the Scottish club’s sensational 3-0 UEFA Champions League away victory at the Stade Gerland in October of 2007. (bbc.co.uk)
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In early October, Beasley’s influence with Rangers reached its zenith for a UEFA Champions League group stage match with Olympique Lyon away in France. The American was heavily involved in all three goals as the visiting Glasgow club conquered the reigning French champions by shutout in their own stadium. For his efforts, Beasley, who netted the final goal for the Gers, was named the Man of the Match in a victory hailed as one of the greatest in the long history of the famous Glasgow institution.

Unfortunately, the injury bug soon bit as Beasley was hurt in a collision with Vfb Stuttgart goalkeeper RAPHAEL SCHAEFER in a subsequent UEFA Champions League match. And so, after scoring two goals each in both eleven Scottish league and eight European games to start for Rangers, the American went on the shelf for quite some time. But Beasley would return, just in time, for the 2008 Scottish F.A. Cup Final.

Which proved to be critical for Glasgow Rangers as Beasley bagged one goal and added another assist in the 3-2 defeat of FC Queen of the South of Dumfries.

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A pair of veteran United States internationals — and future Bundesliga teammates — tangle as Glasgow Rangers winger DAMARCUS BEASLEY (left) looks to fend off Hannover 96 defender STEVE CHERUNDOLO during an exhibition match between the Scottish and German sides in the summer of 2007. (Imago/bild.de)
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Beasley never really did reclaim a place in the starting XI with Rangers after his injury, though. The American appeared in just 10 league matches with only six starts as the Glasgow club captured their 52nd Scottish championship in history. For the 2008-09 season, the winger barely qualified for his championship medal would contest just a dozen games and score no goals for Glasgow Rangers in all competitions.

In October of 2008, Beasley tallied what have been his last two goals for the United States in a 6-1 victory over Fidel Castro’s national team of communist Cuba in a World Cup qualificiation match in Washington, D.C.

The lack of first team professional football continued through all of last season for experienced U.S. international winger, too. Once again, Rangers won the Scottish Premier League although the American was not awarded a championship medal on account of having made just nine appearances (six starts, two goals) in the SPL. Overall, including a pair of games for the Gers in the UEFA Champions League, Beasley played only 14 matches in all competitions and netted twice.

Glasgow Rangers did not offer Beasley a new contract.

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United States international winger DAMARCUS BEASLEY (left) scored his first goal for new German Bundesliga employers Hannover 96 days after signing as a free agent in a 3-0 win over Czech Republic first division side FK Mlada Boleslav (above) during a Testspiel on September 4, 2010 at the MTV Immensen Sportplatz in the Lehrte district of Hannover, Lower Saxony. (Yanks Abroad)
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Two weeks after scoring the first goal of an exhibition match with Czech club FK Mlada Boleslav, Beasley made his Bundesliga debut for Hannover 96 by coming on as a substitute in a loss to Vfl Wolfburg.

Competition for a place with die Roten has been fierce with the German club, who are captained by United States World Cup defender STEVE CHERUNDOLO, as Beasley has appeared in just four of Hannover 96′s first 15 Bundesliga matches to begin this season.

But, prior to today’s American Bundesliga Derby match with Borussia Moenchengladbach, the 28-year-old winger was deployed as a replacement by Hannover 96 manager MIRKO SLOMKA in three of the last of the team’s five Bundesliga contests.

A sign of life from Beasley in Germany.

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Well-traveled American winger DAMARCUS BEASLEY of Bundesliga club Hannover 96, who is attempting to rejuvenate his career in the German top flight, is just seven caps away from the magic mark of 100 senior international appearances for the national team of the United States. (Getty Images)

Hannover 96 Down Borussia Moenchengladbach In American Bundesliga Derby

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Hannover 96 striker JAN SCHLAUDRAFF looks to squeeze through the Borussia Moenchengladbach sandwich of United States World Cup midfielder MICHAEL BRADLEY and Brazilian defender BAMBA ANDERSON (5) at Borussia Park in snowy North Rhine-Westphalia. (Roberto Pfeil/DAPD)
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High-flying HANNOVER 96 came from a goal down in the second half against ten-man BORUSSIA MOENCHENGLADBACH to claim a 2-1 victory in the American Bundesliga Derby and, if only temporarily, move into third place in the standings of the German top flight.

United States World Cup midfielder MICHAEL BRADLEY had given the hosts the lead in the 17th minute with a long-range free kick from well on the left wing that was somehow allowed to tuck inside the post and afford the American a third Bundesliga goal this season.

However, Borussia Moenchengladbach had Argentine striker RAUL BOBADILLA dismissed in the 43rd minute following an assault with the leg levied against veteran 30-year-old Portuguese winger SERGIO PINTO and the Bundesliga cellar-dwellers could not hold on to their advantage after the break.

Hannover 96, captained by United States World Cup defender STEVE CHERUNDOLO, struck twice in three minutes as the final quarter hour at Borussia Park approached; substitute striker MIKE HANKE, who has collected 12 caps in his career for Germany, and Ivory Coast international striker DIDIER YA KONAN scored the goals for the visitors, who won for the ninth time in 15 Bundesliga matches this season.

The 26-year-old Ya Konan, who arrived at Hannover 96 from Norwegian club BK Rosenborg Trondheim in August of 2009, registered his seventh Bundesliga goal of the year and is on pace to top his total of nine goals in 25 games from last season.

The 27-year-old Hanke, who scored 10 goals in 31 games for Hannover 96 during the 2007-08 campaign, fired his second Bundesliga goal this term on only his fourth appearance, all as a replacement.

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Argentine striker RAUL BOBADILLA (9) of Borussia Moenchengladbach, who has scored seven goals in 44 games in the German top flight since his 4.0 million Euro transfer from Swiss side Grasshopper Zurich in July of 2009, indicates exactly how many United States international players are dressed in uniform and available for the Bundesliga match against Hannover 96 at Borussia Park in western Germany.(Roberto Pfeil/DAPD)
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BORUSSIA MOENCHENGLADBACH : Heimeroth – Levels, Anderson, Callsen Bracker, Daems – Bradley, Marx (Matmour 82′) – Reus, Arango – Bobadilla, de Camargo (Idrissou 72′)

HANNOVER 96 : Fromlowitz – Cherundolo, Eggimann, Pogatetz, Schulz – Schmiedebach, Pinto – Stindl (Hanke 59′), Rausch – Ya Konan (Forssell 90′), Schlaudraff (Chahed 83′)

Four-Goal Borussia Dortmund Opens Four Point Lead

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Paraguay World Cup striker LUCAS BARRIOS of Borussia Dortmund, who now leads die Borussen with 11 goals in all competitions this season, skirts around the outstretched challenge of Hannover 96 goalkeeper FLORIAN FROMLOWITZ at the AWD Arena in the capital city of the north German state of Lower Saxony. (Gera Breloer/AP)
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Eine Demonstration der Staerke — A demonstration of strength, then, as visiting BORUSSIA DORTMUND opened up a four-point lead in the German Bundesliga with a decisive 4-0 defeat of HANNOVER 96 on the road in Lower Saxony.

Japan international midfielder SHINJI KAGAWA, continuing to prove the genius behind his astute purchase costing just 350,000 Euros from J-League side Cerezo Osaka, gave die Borussen a fast start with his fifth Bundesliga goal of the season in the 11th minute of the match against the side skippered by United States World Cup defender STEVE CHERUNDOLO.

In the 72nd minute, after Turkey international midfielder NURI SAHIN freed Poland international fullback LUKASZ PISZCZEK down the right wing, Parguay World Cup striker LUCAS BARRIOS stabbed home the cross to score his sixth goal of the Bundesliga season and double Borussia Dortmund’s advantage.

Five minutes later, Tunisia international defender KARIM HAGGUI was dismissed for kicking a downed player in the head to add to the woes of Hannover 96. Borussia Dortmund, however, had a bit of their own downer as Sahin saw his resulting penalty kick saved by goalkeeper FLORIAN FROMLOWITZ. The 22-year-old Turk has now failed twice in a row on his last two attempts from the spot.

Die Borussen did capitalize on the manpower situtation of Hannover 96 to add a couple of late strikes from a pair of Polish substitutes.

Striker ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI, after working a one-two in the box with fellow Poland international JAKUB BLASZCZYKOWSKI, slammed home the rebound after the midfielder’s shot was saved by Fromlowitz; the 22-year-old forward, an off-season purchase of 5.0 million Euros from KKS Lech Poznan, has yet to start a game for Borussia Dortmund this Bundesliga season but has now scored three goals on ten subsitute appearances in the German top flight.

Blaszczykowski, the player fouled by the punished Haggui, had the last laugh and his second Bundesliga goal of the season after latching onto a good ball from 32-year-old veteran Brazilian and substitute midfielder ANTONIO DA SILVA.

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The yellow-shoed Japan international midfielder SHINJI KAGAWA prepares to unleash a left-footed laser to score his seventh goal of the season in all competitions and give Borussia Dortmund the lead against Hannover 96 in the 11th minute of the Bundesliga match at the BWD Arena. (David Hecker/DAPD)
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HANNOVER 96 : Fromlowitz – Cherundolo, Eggimann, Haggui, Djakpa – Stindl (Avevor 80′), Pinto – Stoppelkamp (Beasley 57′), Rausch – Ya Konan, Abdellaoue (Forsell 46′)

BORUSSIA DORTMUND : Weidenfeller – Piszczek, Subotic, Hummels, Schmelzer – Bender, Sahin (da Silva 83′) – Goetze (Blaszczykowski 75′), Kagawa, Grosskreutz – Barrios (Lewandowski 75′)

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Note — United States World Cup midfielder DAMARCUS BEASLEY, the former PSV Eindhoven and Glasgow Rangers man, made his third Bundesliga appearance of the season, all as a substitute, after coming on as a second half replacement for Hannover 96.