Hamburg edge Stuttgart 1-0 in German Bundesliga

Berlin: Artjoms Rudenevs secured Hamburg a 1-0 win over struggling Stuttgart while Hannover and Frankfurt shared points after a goalless draw to close the 25th round of the German Bundesliga.

Stuttgart find themselves in a free fall as they dropped 11th to 14th position after suffering the 12th loss following their defeat to Hamburg on home soil. The "Rothosen" moved from 7th to 6th position Sunday to raise hopes on a Europa League spot. The match itself was unspectacular with the first half ending goalless. From the beginning of the second half Stuttgart approached Hamburg`s goal dangerously but goalkeeper Adler had to make a save on Serdar Tasci`s header. However, it was Hamburg who made the breakthrough as Dennis Diekmeier’s cross from the right wing into the centre of the box found Rudnevs, who beat Sven Ulreich with a hammering volley from 13 metres to grab the lead. Stuttgart nearly responded to the deficit, but Vedad Ibisevic was unable to beat Adler by a header from very close range at the 69th minute. Elsewhere, Hannover shared points with Frankfurt following a goalless draw over ninety minutes. Frankfurt struggled have now failed to score in 504 minutes, slipping out of a Champions League spot on 5th position, meanwhile Hannover stay on 10th position. IANS