We woke up in Berlin on Friday before the match against Hannover '96 in the Olympiastadion to find blue skies and unseasonably warm weather! I'm still hoping that we'll have similar luck tomorrow that will extend beyond the weather onto the football pitch!
The form Hertha has shown at home of late has been not so good but Hannover hasn't won for five games at home or away so both teams have a lot to prove. Hertha are still without Lusti, Cigerci, Ben-Hatira and Ndjeng so tomorrow's team will naturally be slightly makeshift. Having said this Jos Luhukay has never won against Hannover. In six meetings he has drawn three times and lost the other three. Not an ideal record to take forward to the match but I am sure Jos will have been using every bit of the fine Berlin weather to prepare the team for the fight to come.
Well, all those hopes for continued fine weather came to nought. It rained quite heavily overnight and also the wind picked up. Just to add insult to injury the temperature dropped by about 8°C as well!
| After the match. Oh that was so frustrating and depressing in equal measure. Yet again, many chances with none of them being taken by Hertha. At one point in the second half Hertha had 14 shots at goal compared to just five from Hannover and yet H96 had taken two of those five and went on to take a horrible goal in the penultimate minute! |  The Ostkurve early in the match enjoying the spring sunshine |
Ronny managed a swerving free kick from about 35m to go just over the bar. Ramos then managed to trip over the ball then Per Skjelbred shot just wide when left 1 on 1 against the keeper.
In the 49th minute Lars Stindl was left alone, the defence all around him but not really marking him and . . 0:1 it was. Ramos had a good chance when he chipped the keeper after this first goal but it landed on the roof of the net. Just eight minutes after the first goal Jan Schlaudraff was left unmarked, onside and in front of goal - a pass picked out leaving Kraft no choice but to come out and . . 0:2 it was. Ronny managed to smack the post with one of his belters but even he didn't get on the score sheet.
With two minutes of added time, just to add insult to injury, Szabolcs Husti was allowed to run in on goal, Kobi didn't tackle him and bang 0:3 it was.
Hertha really must learn to take those early chances in periods where they dominate early possession to put a game like this to bed before the other team can come back and score on the break. I do not even want to think about the defending for those goals. To go down 0:3 like that at home against a side who have picked up only their second away win of the whole season and yet still be ninth (the same place) in the table is extraordinary but Jos Luhukay still hasn't beaten Hannover '96.
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