Aséko Nkili the hero as Hannover defeat Kaiserslautern

Here’s how Hannover 96’s 1-0 win over 1.FC Kaiserslautern played out this afternoon.

In their first game of the new 2.Bundesliga campaign, Hannover 96 welcomed 1.FC Kaiserslautern to Lower Saxony. In what proved to be a fixture that was dominated by the hosts, it took a late strike from substitute Noel Aseko Nkili to break the deadlock and ultimately secure victory for Christian Titz’s side.

Chances were few and far between in the opening quarter of the game at the Heinz von Heiden Arena, although Hannover enjoyed the lion’s share of possession. The hosts almost constructed the opening on 23 minutes as Chakroun fed Bundu centrally who couldn’t beat the outstretched frame of Julian Krahl. 

Shortly after the hour mark, Hannover went close again as Chakroun set up Boris Tomiak in space. The ex-Kaiserslautern centre-half pulled the trigger from range but couldn’t place it inside the top-right corner. Aside from another Bundu snapshot at the near post which Krahl was equal to, the first-half ended scoreless. 

Having been booked before the break, Waniss Taïbi was replaced by Noel Aséko Nkili. Bundu and Benedict Pichler had two scoring chances thereafter, but Krahl foiled the duo once again. However, the breakthrough finally came with a quarter of an hour remaining. Virgil Ghita’s incisive pass found Aséko Nkili who finished from an acute angle, proving to be the match-winning moment.