Hannover upset Monchengladbach in German Bundesliga

Last-placed Hannover returned to winning ways with a 2-0 victory over fifth-placed Monchengladbach at the opener of the 30th round in Bundesliga on Friday.

The goals from Waldemar Anton and Artur Sobiech helped Hannover to grab a vital win in the relegation battle while Monchengladbach suffered a major blow for their UEFA Champions League aspirations.

Monchengladbach created the first chances of the game as Fabian Johnson and Thorgan Hazard came close to open the scoring. As the match progressed Hannover gained a foothold into the game, as Noah-Joel Sarenren-Bazee tested Monchengladbach custodian Yann Sommer twice in the closing period of the first half.

However, Monchengladbach' s Sommer was helpless after the break as Noah-Joel Sarenren-Bazee' s cross found Anton, who slotted home from ten meters to mark the opener in the 49th minute.

The hosts gained momentum and doubled the lead eleven minutes later after Kenan Karaman' s cross into the box dropped off the right post allowing Sobiech to poke home the rebound from very close range. Monchengladbach tried to pull back but neither Raffael nor Patrick Herrmann were able to make use of their chances to spark hopes of a comeback in the closing period.

With the result, last-placed Hannover wrapped up their first victory after six winless games in row. They will, however, remain in the bottom of the Bundesliga standings with seven points to safety. Monchengladbach continue on the fifth-place with a three-point gap to a UEFA Champions League play-off berth.

The following fixtures are scheduled for Saturday: Bayer Leverkusen host struggling Eintracht Frankfurt, Augsburg meet Stuttgart, relegation threatened Werder Bremen see Wolfsburg, Hoffenheim clash with third-placed Hertha Berlin, newly promoted Darmstadt encounter with newly promoted Ingolstadt and front-runners Bayern Munich take on Schalke.