Nuremberg beats Hannover 2-1 and stops the downward trend!

Nuremberg beats Hannover 2-1 and stops the downward trend!

On December 22, 2025, the 2nd Bundesliga became exciting once again when 1. FC Nürnberg defeated Hannover 96 2-1 in their home stadium. In a game that caused emotions to run high, the different generations of players were evident right from the start. Hannover dominated the opening phase and deservedly took the lead in the 19th minute through Benjamin Källman. But the people of Nuremberg didn't let themselves be defeated. Before the game they had already had to contend with three games without a win and were under enormous pressure.

As if out of nowhere, Rafael Lubach equalized shortly before half-time with a goal from 18 meters (44th minute). In the second half, Nuremberg took control and scored 2-1 through Mohamed Ali Zoma in the 49th minute. This lift fit perfectly into the concept of the Nuremberg team, who were now on the road to victory. This turnaround shows that coach Miroslav Klose's team, whose future at the club was uncertain at the time due to the unfortunate situation, can quickly find its way back to its old strengths. To make matters worse, Nuremberg's team was missing eight players due to illness before the game, which makes the performance all the more remarkable.

Promotion battle and relegation worries

With this victory, Nuremberg ended a series of 96, which could be worth its weight in gold for the relegation battle. With this success, Nuremberg has further distanced itself from the relegation spot, while Hannover remains in fifth place, but remains four points behind the relegation spot. Hannover had previously been unbeaten in ten away games, but now suffered a setback as they also missed out on much-needed points for promotion.

What's next for the two teams? Nuremberg will face SV Elversberg on January 17, 2026, while Hannover will face 1. FC Kaiserslautern on January 13, 2026. Both teams are now under pressure: Nuremberg wants to consolidate their position in the relegation battle and Hannover has to hope for relegation.

The atmosphere in the stadium

In a pleasant five degrees and bright sunshine, around 33,000 spectators watched the action in the stadium. The atmosphere was electric after Lubach's equalizer; the fans sensed the turnaround. Nevertheless, there were also dangerous moments for Nuremberg. In the 88th minute, Luka Lochoshvili missed a great chance to make it 3-1 when he failed to convert a corner. Hannover tried to exert further pressure with a triple substitution, but could not overcome the Nuremberg defense. The Nuremberg defense held firm and secured the deserved victory.

The bottom line is that it was a thrilling duel in the 2nd Bundesliga, which shows the rebuilding of Nuremberg under Klose and was a setback for Hannover on the way to returning to the Bundesliga. The next games will show whether Nuremberg Viktory can hold out and whether Hannover can get back on track.

You can find out more about this at Sports show and Kicker. For updates on the relegation battles in the Bundesliga, visit NDR.