Hannover 0-0 Leverkusen: Both sides wasteful in front of goal as Bundesliga clash ends in stalemate

There was little action to speak of in the first half, with both sides struggling to establish a foothold in the attacking third or even register a shot on target.

Hannover led the way with 60 percent of the possession in the opening 45 minutes, but was unable to conjure up anything that troubled Bernd Leno in the Leverkusen goal.

The visiting side emerged from the break looking to strike quickly, and a mazy run by Andre Schurrle from the left teed up Stefan Kiessling for a shot that forced Ron-Robert Zieler into a diving, but comfortable catch.

Jan Schlaudraff fashioned a genuine opportunity in the 55th minute, when his enterprising charge down the right flank led to a great ball in for Mohammed Abdellaoue, but his diving header at the near post was snared with authority by Leno.

Hannover was the stronger side at this point, with Schlaudraff in particular appearing the most likely outlet for a breakthrough. The German forward caused Leverkusen a few problems with his direct running on the right, but the profligacy of his teammates wasted most of his good work.

Leverkusen was not out of it, however, and created a chance of its own with 15 minutes remaining. Michael Ballack held the ball up well at the edge of the area and released Kiessling, who sprinted past Emanuel Pogatetz but could only drive his finish into the arms of Zieler as his momentum forced him towards the byline.

A free kick from Schurrle flashed a few inches over the bar in injury time, as both sides seemed to lack the motivation to push on for a winner.

The result sees Leverkusen remain in sixth place with 26 points, while Hannover is four points behind in eighth place.

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