Hannover share the spoils with Hertha Berlin in German Bundesliga

Salomon Kalou' s leveller against Hannover helped Berlin to avoid the second loss in row with a 2-2 draw at the opener of the 29th round in Bundesliga on Friday.

Berlin' s UEFA Champions League ambitions suffered a setback as last-placed Hannover snatched a draw on the road. Berlin grabbed the lead through Vedad Ibisevic before Artur Sobiech and Manuel Schmiedebach turned the tides. However, Kalou' s late equalizer salvaged third-placed Berlin at least one point.

Hannover caught the worst possible start into the game as the hosts broke the deadlock with just four minutes played after Marvin Plattenhardt' s cross found Ibisevic, who slotted home at the near post to mark his ninth goal of the season.

Hannover remained unimpressed and responded as Uffe Bech' s shot on target forced Berlin custodian Rune Jarstein to tip the ball over the bar in the sixth minute just before Schmiedebach rattled the woodwork moments later.

The visitors' efforts paid off after Sobiech completed a combination via Hiroshi Kiyotake to overcome Jarstein in the 18th minute. The "Reds" kept it bowling and turned the tides with 58 minutes on the clock as Kenan Karaman' s square pass allowed Schmiedebach to make it 2-1 on the scoreboards.

Hannover' s 2-1 lead was a wakening call for the hosts, as Pal Dardai' s men needed 14 minutes to ensure parity through Kalou, who utilized Julian Schieber' s cross to slot home the two-all draw.

Berlin continued to work out chances but Hannover' s goalie Ron-Robert Zieler rescued his side a draw after denying Vedad Ibisevic and Niklas Stark in the closing period.

With the result, Hertha Berlin remain on the third placed with a four point advantage to fourth-placed Monchengladbach. Meanwhile, last-placed Hannover sit hopelessly on the last place of the standings with ten points to safety and five games to spare.

The following fixtures are scheduled for Saturday: Hamburg host newly promoted Darmstadt, Stuttgart face leaders Bayern Munich, struggling Weder Bremen see relegation threatened Augsburg, newly promoted Ingolstadt encounter with Monchengladbach, relegation threatened Frankfurt meet Hoffenheim and Mainz visit Wolfsburg.