Schalke, Hannover grab victories in German Bundesliga

Berlin: Schalke 04 came from behind to win 4-1 against Kaiserslautern while Hannover thrashed Cologne 4-1 to complete the 26th round of the German Bundesliga.

Bottom team Kaiserslautern completed a new negative club record, remaining winless in 16 matches in a row. Kaiserslautern opened the scoring as defender Francisco de Lima headed home with only three minutes into the match Sunday to shock the guests. Schalke 04 needed some time to recover from the shock but midfielder Lewis Holtby slotted home with a well placed shot from 20 meters to level the score six minutes before break. After the equalizer, Schalke turned on the pressure as Dutchmen Klaas Jan Huntelaar marked his 20th goal of the season. Spanish veteran striker Raul Gonzalez and striker Jefferson Farfan brought the 4-1 win home, to pocket the third consecutive win. Schalke sit on fourth position with 50 points meanwhile Kaiserslautern occupies last position in the standings with 20 points. "We wasted a couple of opportunities but nonetheless I`m satisfied," Schalke 04 coach Huub Stevens said. In the other match Sunday, Hannover striker Mame Biram Diouf scored a brace to defeat Cologne 4-1 at the AWD Arena. Hannover midfielder Lars Stindl opened the scoring for his side in the 19th minute while Cologne midfielder Kevin Pezzoni equalized the score two minutes before the break. In the second half, Jan Schlaudraff converted penalty to put Hannover in the lead again. Diouf, who came on as a second half substitute, scored in quick succession to give his team a convincing victory. IANS