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Wolfsburg crush Hannover 4-0, Ingolstadt held Cologne in German Bundesliga

Xinhua, March 2, 2016 Adjust font size:

Andre Schuerrle's hat rick helped Wolfsburg to crush Hannover 4-0 in the Lower Saxony derby while Ingolstadt and Cologne shared the spoils at the opener of the 24th round in Bundesliga on Tuesday.

Wolfsburg showed no mercy with last-placed rivals Hannover, who suffered the 17th loss of the season. Andre Schuerrle has large shares on the victory after providing the first three goals.

The "Wolves" took the initiative from the kick-off on the road yet Hannover created the first threatening chance through Kenan Karaman, who tested Wolfsburg custodian Koen Casteels with a low shot into the bottom right after 15 minutes played.

It remained the only notable chance for the hosts as Wolfsburg took complete control as the match progressed. Julian Draxler came close before Andre Schuerrle overcame his goal-drought to open the scoring with a shot into the far post corner at the 36th minute.

Hannover were unable to respond whereas Wolfsburg continued their relentless run on the host's goal. As a result, Schuerrle doubled the lead with 15 minutes into the second half. Hannover failed to clear the ball following a corner kick, giving the German international the opportunity to slot home with a drop kick into the near post corner.

The "Wolves" weren't done with the scoring as Schuerrle wrapped up his hat rick three minutes later after utilizing a clearance to volley home the 3-0 lead. Wolfsburg's third goal took the wind out of Hannover's sails allowing Julian Draxler to add his name to the score sheets in the 69th minute.

With the result, Hannover suffered the fifth straight loss on home soil to remain in the Bundesliga bottom. Meanwhile, Wolfsburg continue on the eighth place, one point adrift of the international business.

Elsewhere, the game between newly promoted Ingolstadt and Cologne ended in a 1-1 stalemate. Lukas Hinterseer broke the deadlock for the hosts before Cologne's Anthony Modeste restored parity to snatch one point on the road.

Both teams stay on their previous positions. Ingolstadt stay on the ninth place and Cologne remain on the 10th place.

The following fixtures complete the 24th matchday on Wednesday: front-runners Bayern host Mainz, Schalke face Hamburg, Bayer Leverkusen see relegation-threatened Bremen, Monchengladbach meet Stuttgart, third-placed Berlin clash with Frankfurt, struggling Hoffenheim encounter Augsburg and runner-up Dortmund visit newly promoted Darmstadt. Endit