Diouf scored the opener before limping off and scans revealed he has torn ligaments in his left ankle.

"After an extensive diagnosis by the Hannover 96 team doctors, it is apparent that Diouf will be unavailable for the final four matches of the season," a statement on the club's website read.

The news comes as a blow to Hannover's European ambitions, with the club shy of a Europa League place on goal difference only.

The 24-year-old has scored six goals in 10 league appearances since joining from Manchester United in January.

Despite suffering a 2-1 reversal in the opening fixture in the Netherlands last week, Valencia was on top form with Jordi Alba and Pablo Hernandez adding to Rami's early brace to wrap up an emphatic 4-0 win on the night, and a 5-2 aggregate success.

Atletico Madrid progressed to the semi-finals for the second time in three seasons as second-half strikes from Adrian Lopez and Radamel Falcao were enough to see off Hannover 4-2 on aggregate.

With the tie finely balanced from the first leg in Madrid last week, the game did not open up until after the break when Adrian spun away from three desperate Hannover challenges to slot home his sixth goal of the competition.

On-loan Manchester United striker Mame Biram Diouf gave the host hope as he pulled a goal back with nine minutes remaining, but Atletico sealed a 2-1 win on the night and its passage into the last four when Falcao rocketed home a volley from the edge of the area five minutes later.

Atletico will now face Valencia in an all-Spanish semi-final.

Athletic Bilbao advanced to the semi-finals with a 6-4 aggregate win over Schalke, although it was tested to the limit at San Mames.

Trailing 4-2 from the quarter-final first leg, Schalke twice took the lead on the night through Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Raul.

But the home side replied with strikes from Ibai Gomez and Markel Susaeta to secure a 2-2 draw which earned it an aggregate victory and a last-four meeting with Sporting.

Cleiton Xavier's second-half penalty miss cost host Metalist Kharkiv dear as Sporting clung on for a 1-1 draw in Ukraine which sent it through to the semi-finals 3-2 on aggregate.

Leading 2-1 from the first leg in Portugal, Sporting extended its lead through Ricky van Wolfswinkel before Jonathan Cristaldo equalised early in the second half.

Metalist blew its big chance of levelling on aggregate in the 63rd minute when Alexandre Xandao fouled Marko Devic in the box, and Xavier rattled his resulting spot-kick at the legs of Sporting goalkeeper Rui Patricio.

VIDEO: highlights of all the UEFA Europa League quarter-final first leg matches

Holman, who will leave AZ for Aston Villa at season's end, put the home side in front in first half injury time and although Mehmet Topal equalised in the 52nd minute, Maarten Martens hit what turned out to be AZ's winner with 11 minutes left.

Elsewhere, fresh from mauling Manchester United, Marcelo Bielsa's Athletic Bilbao took a giant stride towards the semi-finals with a dramatic 4-2 first leg win at Schalke 04.

Fernando Llorente scored twice as Bilbao came from behind to grabits crucial advantage, which it boosted in injury time when Iker Muniain scored his side's fourth.

Llorente put the visiting side ahead on 20 minutes at the Veltins-Arena but Schalke hit back with two goals from Raul either side of the break to nudge the German side in front.

But Bilbao, without a win in three since seeing off Sir Alex Ferguson's men, responded through Llorente again and an 81st minute goal from Oscar De Marcos before Muniain added to its lead.

Substitute Eduardo Salvio struck in the 89th minute as Atletico Madrid claimed a potentially crucial 2-1 first leg advantage in its quarter-final clash with Hannover in Spain.

The German side looked to be heading home with a draw after Mame Biram Diouf equalised Radamel Falcao's early strike, but Salvio let fly from 20 yards to leave his side in command.

Sporting Lisbon beat Metalist 2-1 in Portugal but can expect a much tougher second leg after the Ukrainian side gave itself hope with an injury-time penalty.

Sporting was cruising through second half goals from Marat Izmailov and Emiliano Insua, but Cleiton Xavier's spot-kick deep into added time will give Metalist plenty of hope.

The other ties feature several teams unused to reaching the latter stages of a European club tournament but presents them with a tantalising prospect of silverware.

Unfashionable Dutch side AZ hosts Valencia, Athletic Bilbao is away to Schalke 04 and Sporting Lisbon hosts Ukraine's Metalist Kharkiv.

Atletico, the inaugural winner of the competition in 2010, has shown solid form in Europe since former Argentina international Diego Simeone took over as coach at the end of the year.

Yet a 1-0 defeat to the Spanish league's bottom side Real Zaragoza has left Simeone's side eighth in the table and in danger of missing out on European football next season.

Defender Juanfran Torres said the Rojiblancos are desperate to get back to winning ways.

"The objective is Thursday," Juanfran told Spanish daily Marca.

"Then after that we have Getafe, and from there we go from game to game. We have a lot at stake in the next three games but the team is ready to give it everything."

Hanover is the least experienced side in the competition but coach Mirko Slomka can boast of having taken Schalke to the semi-finals of the 2005-2006 UEFA Cup.

There is also the small issue of hosting first and the fear of conceding an away goal.

In the 2010 quarter-finals former Atletico striker David Villa scored late to secure a 2-2 draw at Valencia in the first leg, a strike which proved decisive after the second leg finished scoreless.

An away goal against Liverpool in the second leg of the semi-final then sent Atletico to the final where they beat Fulham 2-1 after extra-time.

This year Atletico could meet Valencia in the semi-finals, if its Spanish league neighbour overcomes AZ over two legs to take what would be its second Dutch scalp in succession after the 5-3 aggregate win over PSV Eindhoven.

Valencia's last European triumph goes back to 2004 when it beat Marseille 2-0 to win the UEFA Cup.

On Friday the Spaniards will be without French central defender Adil Rami, who sits out a one-match ban after a red card against PSV but they head to Alkmaar fresh from a morale-boosting 3-0 league win over Athletic Bilbao.

Barely two weeks after its deserved elimination of Manchester United, Athletic must raise its game again to face a Schalke team which scored a 4-1 win at bottom-side Kaiserslautern on Monday.

The win was inspired by star strikers Raul and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and kept Huub Stevens's side in contention for the league title and a UEFA Champions League spot next season.

Athletic defender Javi Martinez has urged his teammates to forget recent setbacks and focus on the job at hand.

"We have to maintain the maturity we've demonstrated lately ... and show that what we achieved at Old Trafford was no accident," said Martinez.

Awaiting the winners of that tie in the semi-finals will be Sporting Lisbon or Metalist Kharkiv, who meet for the first leg in Portugal.

They have never met in the competition but Sporting's fans will be boosted knowing the Portuguese have won all four of their previous games against Ukrainian sides in European competition.

Heading home after last week's stunning 3-2 win at Old Trafford, Marcelo Bielsa's men dominated again with Llorente firing a stunning volley to extend his side's aggregate lead in the 23rd minute.

Andoni Iraola, Markel Susaeta and Gaizka Toquero all missed chances to put their side further ahead before De Marcos effectively sealed United's fate with a 65th minute effort to put Bilbao up 2-0 on the night and 5-2 on aggregate.

Wayne Rooney responded with a superb strike 10 minutes from time but it was too little, too late for Sir Alex Ferguson's men, whose season of continental misery ended in a 5-3 aggregate defeat.

Manchester City's storming second-half fightback at the Etihad Stadium proved all in vain as it was knocked out on the away goals rule by Sporting Lisbon after a 3-3 aggregate finish.

The visiting side looked set to coast into the last eight as early strikes from Matias Fernandez and Ricky van Wolfswinkel sent them 2-0 up at the break, giving it a 3-0 overall lead.

But City blasted back to win 3-2, with two goals from Sergio Aguero sandwiching a Mario Balotelli penalty. Keeper Joe Hart came close to heading a dramatic injury-time clincher but Roberto Mancini's men bowed out.

Dutch Eredivisie leader AZ Alkmaar survived the third minute sending-off of Nick Viergever as it clung on for a 2-1 defeat at Udinese which was enough to send it through 3-2 on aggregate.

Viergever's early dismissal threw AZ into chaos and things looked bleak when two goals from Antonio Di Natale drew the host side level on aggregate within the opening 15 minutes.

But Udinese failed to make the most of its chances and AZ went back in front through a 31st minute strike from Erik Falkenburg, before managing to hold on for a last eight place.

Hannover left no room for doubt with a crushing 4-0 second leg win over Standard Liege in Germany to send it through to the quarter-finals 6-2 on aggregate.

Mohammed Abdellaoue opened the scoring on four minutes before two own goals from Brazilian Kanu either side of the break. Sergio Pinto added a fourth in stoppage time after Standard had Serge Gakpe sent off.

Former winner Valencia moved through 5-3 on aggregate after a 1-1 draw at PSV Eindhoven. Adil Rami opened the scoring for Valencia on 47 before Ola Toivonen equalised. Goalscorer Rami was sent off in injury time.

Ukrainian side Metalist Kharkiv staged a fine late comeback to nudge out Olympiacos with a 2-1 win in Greece enough to see it through on the away goals rule after a 2-2 aggregate result.

Ivan Marcano's early goal put Olympiacos further ahead on aggregate but Cristian Villagra equalised on the night in the 81st minute and Marko Devic scored the all-important winner four minutes from time.

A Klaas Jan Huntelaar hat-trick helped Schalke also come back from behind to beat Steve McClaren's FC Twente, with a 4-1 win on the night giving them a 4-2 aggregate win.

Willem Janssen had extended Twente's advantage with a 14th-minute opening strike, but Huntelaar equalised on 29 and added two further second-half goals either side of a 71st-minute effort from Jermaine Jones.

Atletico Madrid wrapped up an impressive 6-1 aggregate win over Besiktas with a 3-0 win in Turkey. Adrian Lopez put the Spanish side ahead before late goals from Radamel Falcao and Eduardo Salvio completed its easy passage.

Pizarro scored his side's opening goal and set up another in the 3-0 victory at the Weserstadion but was also involved in an incident with Pogatetz.

The Peruvian appeared to slap the Hannover defender after a clash between the pair and since the referee did not deal out any punishment, the Bremen striker could be banned retrospectively by the German Football Association.

Pizarro defended his action, telling Sky television:"I just wanted to move my hand away and I slapped him a bit, but I didn't want to.

"I have apologised and I did not mean to do it."

Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf said: "Certainly he should not be putting his hand up to the face there, but he was certainly provoked."

Hannover coach Mirko Slomka, on the other hand, only saw the positive side of Pizarro's performance.

"Pizarro only needs one chance, and that is how it was," he said. "He is world class the way he plays."

Matavz's brace helped PSV to a 4-1 second-leg win at the Philips Stadion. The result was a formality by half-time, with the host 3-1 up and the Turkish side reduced to 10 men following the sending-off of goalkeeper Tolga Zengin.

The visiting side started with hope after a narrow 2-1 loss in Turkey but a 15th-minute Dries Mertens penalty extended PSV's advantage and Matavz and Kevin Strootman extended PSV's lead before Burak Yilmaz pulled one back.

Zengin was sent off one minute before the break for handling the ball outside his area and Matavz rounded off a fine display by the Dutch team when he scored his side's fourth and final goal seven minutes after the break.

PSV will face Valencia in the last 16 after Los Che also made it through at the expense of Premier League club Stoke.

A 24th-minute goal from Jonas gave the Spanish side a 1-0 win on the night at the Mestalla and a 2-0 aggregate success.

Udinese shrugged off the disappointment of a goalless first leg in Italy to hammer PAOK Salonika 3-0 in Greece. Danilo opened the scoring after six minutes and Antonio Floro Flores and Maurizio Domizzi sealed an emphatic victory.

Former Manchester United striker Mame Biram Diouf scored the only goal as Hannover won 1-0 in Belgium to complete a 3-1 aggregate triumph over Club Brugge.

Nacer Chadli's 29th-minute effort earned FC Twente a 1-0 win over Steaua Bucharest for a 2-0 aggregate victory, while a goalless draw was good enough for Standard Liege to squeeze past Wisla Krakow 1-1 on aggregate on the away goals rule.

Athletic Bilbao beat Lokomotiv Moscow 1-0 to also advance on away goals after a 2-2 aggregate score. Iker Muniain scored the crucial goal two minutes after Fernando Amorebieta's 60th-minute sending-off.

UEFA has fined the Bundesliga club 15,000 euros ($18,500) for the misbehaviour of its fans at games against Copenhagen and Standard Liege.

The sanction relates to fireworks and flares set off within the Hannover fans' section and a pitch invasion by one fan.

Several culprits have already been identified and they will now be sent the UEFA bill to pay.

"We are sticking ruthlessly by our stance and we will hold the culprits responsible and pass on this fine to the people responsible," said Hannover's president Martin Kind.

Hannover successfully identified the fan who lit a flare during Hannover's Bundesliga match at Augsburg earlier this season and he was made to pay the fine of 4000 euros sanctioned by the German Football Association (DFB) for that incident.

Legal proceedings have already commenced against the fan who invaded the pitch in Copenhagen and those who were seen lighting flares there.

The identities of the people who lit flares in Liege have not yet been ascertained, but Hannover is continuing to investigate in order to make them pay their share of the latest fine.

"We want to know who has considerably damaged the reputation of Hannover here," added Kind.

"Our attempts to identify the culprits are continuing with the aid of the Belgian authorities."

The referee missed the incident in Saturday's (AEDT) 1-0 win for Hannover, but that allowed the federation to use video replays to review it and subsequently ban the Austrian.

Pogatetz will miss Bundesliga matches at Hertha Berlin and Mainz as well as the home game with Stuttgart.

The 24-year-old has signed a contract with the Bundesliga side until July 2014 and will join up with it on Monday.

"I am pleased that we now have another alternative for our attack with Mame Diouf," Hannover coach Mirko Slomka told club website hannover96.de

"We are now going to have to integrate him quickly so that he can help us with our upcoming challenges in the Bundesliga and the Europa League."

Diouf has been capped three times by Senegal but failed to break through at United after arriving at Old Trafford from Molde in 2009.

He spent last season on loan at Blackburn Rovers, scoring three goals for the Ewood Park club, but only appeared in Carling Cup matches for United this season.

He will provide competition to Jan Schlaudraff and Mohammed Abdellaoue for a place in the Hannover attack.

Hannover has drawn more than any other side in the Bundesliga this season with half of the results prior to ending all square.

Nurnberg came close to levelling in the second half, but Slomka was delighted to get three points rather than just one for a change.

"It was a game in which we can be pleased to have kept the three points in the end," he said on his club's website.

"We are the lucky winners, but we are also happy with the victory.

"With this win, we have managed to remain in the top half of the table and keep up the pressure on those above us."

Hannover had drawn its previous five Bundesliga matches and have not won in 96 days prior to the win at the Niedersachsenstadion.

"After so many games without a win and the many draws, it was important to get three points again," added Slomka.

"It was a battle on a knife edge for 90 minutes and beyond."

Nurnberg coach Dieter Hecking admitted his side had thrown away its chance by boycotting the first half of the game.

"We needed a full half to get going," he said.

"Hannover dictated the game in the first half and we were chasing shadows, and we were punished for it.

"It is a frustrating defeat, but bearing in mind the first half, it is fair."

The personality test includes statements such as, 'I am what you could call sexually unrestrained', 'I want any sex I can get' or 'I have a lot of erotic fantasies', which players can evaluate on a scale of -3 to +3.

Coach Mirko Slomka said he had completed the profile containing 128 questions and the players could see his responses if they wanted.

"With this test I know how I can best reach each player," he was quoted as saying by Bild daily.

The club said participating in the Reiss motivation profile, developed by US psychologist and motivation analyst Steven Reiss, was voluntary.

The answers will be evaluated by motivation consultant Peter Boltersdorf, who has also worked among others for Schalke, Alemannia Aachen, Cologne and the German national handball team.

According to the Reiss theory, 16 basic desires guide nearly all human action. The test is designed to highlight a person's fundamental values, goals and motivations.

"Each player needs different conditions to perform at his best over a long period. This is what I have to look into," Boltersdorf said.

Miller has been out for almost three months receiving treatment for depression, but Slomka said it was like he had 'never been away' after he made his Hannover debut.

"It was a very special situation for Markus to make his debut today," Slomka told his club's official website.

"I had the feeling in training that he had never been away. He was so well prepared when he returned from 11 weeks away.

"He was in such a good physical condition and had performed well in training and he was very secure and self-confident.

"He was marvellous. I am delighted that it went so well for Markus."

Slomka is now looking forward to discovering his side's reward for reaching the last 32 of the Europa League.

"We will all be sat in front of the television and hoping that we get a good draw, whatever a good draw means," he said.

"We are really looking forward to the draw."

The 28-year-old put pen to paper with Hannover announcing the deal after the 0-0 draw at the Niedersachsenstadion.

"Everything is perfect right now. I am fit and I am really happy with this club and our team," Schlaudraff said. "Therefore, I have decided to stay with Hannover 96."

Schlaudraff initially struggled to impress coach Mirko Slomka and was close to a transfer 18 months ago when the club's president Martin Kind declared that Schlaudraff "will never play for us again".

However, two months into last season Schlaudraff returned to the side and convinced Slomka of his worth, going on to play in almost every game from then on.

"I think it was a difficult time for us at the beginning, but everybody pulled together and now we are enjoying a successful time," he told Sky television.

"We now want to build on that in the coming two or three years and I am pleased to be part of that."

Schlaudraff has signed a contract until June 2015.

Miller, who revealed he was seeking medical treatment in September, has been fully supported by his club, which saw former Germany international Robert Enke commit suicide two years ago after battling with depression for several years.

Miller told Kicker: "I feel good again and I am realigned.

"I'm glad to be back. It was really nice to see the old faces again. It was an interesting and emotional 11 weeks."

Hannover sporting director Joerg Schmadtke said: "We are delighted that Markus has come through his problems and hope he will quickly find his form."

Stindl was in the firing line after missing two gilt-edged chances when the two sides met in Germany a fortnight ago, but he made up for it with a stunning volley to take the Reds closer to the knockout stages and delight Slomka.

"Stindl has had a lot of misfortune so it had to be a special goal," he said. "He is indispensable for our team."

The 23-year-old midfielder, whose last goal came at the end of July, savoured the moment afterwards.

"I have always dreamed of something like this," he is quoted as saying by the dpa agency.

"For that to come off in such a game makes it even more amazing.

"I have to compliment the coach and the team because they have always supported me."

The win has also boosted Hannover's confidence ahead of a top-of-the-table clash with Schalke in the Bundesliga on Sunday.

Slomka said: "We have shown that we can move up a gear and now we don't need to have any fear.

"Schalke also played last night so we come into the game in the same conditions."

Jerome Boateng was shown a red card in the 2-1 defeat which saw the Bavarians' advantage at the top of the table reduced to just three points.

And Heynckes told Sky television: "It (the red card) was unfair. Both of them should have been given yellow and not one red and one yellow.

"Two different degrees of punishment were used. The referee, since he could not see it himself, allowed the fourth official, with whom we had already been arguing, to convince him.

"It was a revenge action. He was the protagonist today."

Replays showed that the fourth official had got the decision right, though, as Boateng clearly raised his hands to push Christian Schulz away.

"Sergio Pinto was lying on the ground after taking a knock and then two players, Toni Kroos and Jerome Boateng, lean over him and insult him," explained Hannover's captain Schulz.

"I stepped in to protect our player and then there was a bit of a tussle. Boateng then shoved me.

"I did not provoke him but just moved him away a bit since the doctors wanted to get to Sergio."

One of Hannover's doctors was also sent flying during the melee, which involved almost all of the players and officials from both clubs.

Hannover coach Mirko Slomka was on the other bench and, such was the confusion, he said he advised the referee not to take any action.

"I told the referee and the fourth official to do nothing and just let play go on," he admitted.

"It was so confused - you cannot take any action there. I would have just said 'play on' and that's the matter dealt with."

However, the red card helped his side beat Bayern at home for the second season running and lifted them up to fourth in the table.

Mohammed Abdellaoue put the Reds in front from the penalty spot in the 23rd minute and Bayern was reduced to 10 men five minutes later when Jerome Boateng was sent off.

An own goal from Luiz Gustavo doubled Hannover's lead in the 50th minute while it too lost a man as Steven Cherundolo was dismissed in the 63rd minute.

David Alaba reduced the arrears seven minutes from time and Bastian Schweinsteiger hit the post in a dramatic conclusion to the match, but Hannover held on for a win which lifts it up to fourth in the Bundesliga.

A late goal from Jefferson Farfan earned Schalke all three points against Bayer Leverkusen and took it up to third in the table.

The Peruvian struck in the 82nd minute of a tight derby match at the BayArena to take the Royal Blues to within four points of league leader Bayern Munich, and just one adrift of its local rival Borussia Dortmund.

Leverkusen was unable to build on its impressive 2-1 Europa League win over Valencia in midweek and this latest defeat will only revive criticism of its coach Robin Dutt, whose side remains in mid-table.

A mistake by the young goalkeeper enabled Copenhagen to grab a late equaliser in the 2-2 draw at the Niedersachsen Stadion, but Schulz defended his side's number one.

"Ron has played some amazing games for us," he told goal.com.

"Okay, maybe he was a bit at fault for the goal, but mistakes happen and it is not as if we outfield players are immune to them.

"It's just when you are a goalkeeper, it is twice as annoying because generally you concede a goal when you commit an error."

The result left the German side in second place in its group behind Standard Liege, but only one of its remaining three games will be played at home.

"It is frustrating because we could have landed a big point today," continued Schulz.

"It is even more annoying when, in the 89th minute, you think you have secured the win but then you let it slip.

"It is particularly frustrating in view of the head-to-head record. We have now had two home games and we have not managed to win one."

Dortmund has won three straight Bundesliga games to move into third but its 3-1 loss at Olympiakos in midweek has left the club in a tough spot for reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League.

Dortmund can ill-afford any domestic setbacks as it sits six points behind leader Bayern Munich, which plays at seventh-place Hannover on Sunday (Monday AEDT).

Dortmund's defensive lapses were exposed in Greece with centrebacks Mats Hummels and Neven Subotic looking out of form as the team made a number of mistakes.

"We lack concentration is decisive moments," coach Juergen Klopp said. "If we don't correct our mistakes, we won't be getting any points."

Cologne has been anything but consistent, but it has notched two wins on the road including a 4-1 drubbing of Leverkusen.

Lukas Podolski, who was stripped of the captaincy by new coach Stake Solbakken at the start of the season, has patched up his differences with the Norwegian and has scored six goals to go with four assists.

"The captain issue is long behind me," Podolski said. "It was always a much bigger issue with the public than with me."

Podolski is coming off a two-goal performance against Hannover and the Germany forward is playing the kind of football that made him one of the country's top stars a few years back, before his unhappy spell at Bayern Munich.

Borussia Monchengladbach, which is one point ahead of Dortmund, travels to Hoffenheim.

Bayern drew 1-1 at Napoli in the Champions League in midweek to concede their first goal in 12 games in Italy, but it was an own goal by defender Holger Badstuber.

Bayern's last trip to Hannover ended with a 3-1 defeat. Hannover is playing nearly as well this season.

"Of course, Bayern is in good form, but it's not that easy to play against us," said Hannover's Konstantin Rasuch, who scored one of his team's goals in March.

Fourth-place Stuttgart travels to Nuremberg, which has not won in four matches.

Werder Bremen, which has slipped to fifth after two straight losses, travels on Friday (Saturday AEDT) to Augsburg, which earned its first top-division win last week in Mainz. Bremen will have goalkeeper Tim Wiese back after a suspension.

Mainz, one of last season's success stories, has already lost five games and has a tricky trip to Hertha Berlin.

Hamburger SV will look to lift itself from the bottom when it hosts Wolfsburg in the first match under new coach Thorsten Fink.

Also on Saturday (Sunday AEDT), Kaiserslautern hosts Freiburg.

On Sunday (Monday AEDT), Leverkusen hosts Schalke after a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Valencia in the Champions League.

Sergio Pinto's strike, which would have made it 1-1 at Cologne, was disallowed by the referee when he saw the linesman's flag raised for offside against Didier Ya Konan.

Ya Konan was not even near the ball, however, and Slomka feels the goal should have been allowed to stand.

Hannover went on to lose 2-0 to a late Lukas Podolski goal, rubbing salt into their wounds.

"The players were very, very, very incensed," said Slomka to Sky television. "They feel that they have had a point stolen from them.

"We need to somehow bring some calm back in.

"We have had a clear goal ruled out. I don't think that the linesman can make a decision like that because the referee was better placed and he should have dealt with the situation better."

Even Cologne goalkeeper Michael Rensing said the referee's reason for the offside decision did not make sense.

"I have heard afterwards that the player is alleged to have disturbed me, but that was not the case so we were lucky," he said.

"We were lucky because it was a valid goal."

With two controversial red cards in Schalke's game against Kaiserslautern and two similar offside decisions in games in Bremen and Mainz, it was a difficult weekend for the officials in the Bundesliga.

Former FIFA referee Markus Merk, who was present at Schalke's match, was pelted with missiles from the home fans who were incensed by the performance of Peter Sippel.

An investigation into their behaviour has been launched, with Schalke director Peter Peters saying it is "unacceptable" and that the culprits will be banned for life from attending Royal Blues' matches.

Podolski scored in the 24th and 86th minutes against a strong Hannover side which hit the bar once and had a late goal controversially disallowed when the score was 1-0, Sergio Pinto's effort ruled out because of an offside decision against Didier Ya Konan.

The win lifted Stale Solbakken's side into mid-table, six points clear of the bottom three, and left Hannover seventh.

Frank Arnesen won his one and only match in charge of Hamburg as a 2-1 victory at Freiburg took the northern Germany side level on points with its host at the bottom of the table.

Son Heung-min put the visitor in front in the 12th minute, but Papiss Demba Cisse levelled in the 47th minute.

Ivo Ilicevic restored Hamburg's advantage in the 73rd minute and Cisse missed a penalty as the home side slumped to defeat at the Dreisamstadion.

From tomorrow, Thorsten Fink will take charge of Hamburg with Arnesen returning to his previous role of director of sport.

The 25-year-old scored all three goals as Hannover defeated Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga, taking his tally of goals for the current campaign to six in just five appearances.

That strike rate has the Lower Saxony club worried about receiving offers for the forward, which is why it may renegotiate his terms.

"That has got to be our aim," said Hannover's chairman Martin Kind.

"Maybe the break for international matches is just the right time for us to draw up a schedule, but we are not under any pressure."

Abdellaoue still has two-and-a-half years to run on his contract with Hannover, but Kind wants to offer him a home for life.

"He is a great lad and a fantastic player," he added.

"He is not for sale. If possible, we would like to tie him down to Hannover in the long term."

However, even Kind knows that the player has a price and his club may struggle to keep hold of him if he carries on scoring at such a rate.

"It will be the market which decides that," he admitted.

"We will not be able to decide it."

The Reds led 2-0 thanks to goals from Mohamed Abdellaoui and Christian Pander, but were made to sweat for all three points in the Group B encounter after Oleksiy Kurilov pulled a goal back.

"We tried to be clinical, particularly when attacking, and we managed that in the first half, but after conceding in the second half, we became unsettled," he said on his club's website.

"Maybe we are just lacking a bit of experience in Europe in that instance. We have got to learn from that.

"But in the end, we earned the win and that shows our quality."

Goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler, in his first season as a professional, echoed Slomka's words by demanding more consistency in future.

Hannover's next group fixture is at home to Copenhagen on 20 October, and he wants his team-mates to focus for the whole of that game.

"If we want to survive in Europe, then we have got to play two good halves and not just one," he said.

"Nevertheless, we have got the three points and we have just got to be happy with that."

Miller, 29, issued a statement through the club on Monday saying he was suffering from "mental exhaustion"

The decision by Miller comes almost two years after the death of Hanover keeper Robert Enke.

Germany international Enke, who had been suffering from depression, committed suicide in November 2009.

Club chief executive Martin Kind welcomed Miller's decision to seek treatment as "a great sign of courage".

A club statement said Miller had the full support of the team, management and coach Mirko Slomka, especially in view of the club's experience following the Enke tragedy.

Sport director Joerg Schmadtke said Miller's decision to go public and inform the management early on of his problems were "a sign of strength".

The priority now was for Miller to be successfully treated, he said.

"We will strengthen and protect him because he is being open in facing up to his psychological problems, which continue to be a taboo subject in our society," he said.

Miller, who joined the club in the summer of 2010 and is the club's reserve keeper, is expected to be treated as an inpatient for several weeks, the club said.

The midfielder has signed a four-year contract with the Bundesliga outfit.

"Daniel Royer can use both feet and can be used flexibly on both wings with his pace," said Hannover director of sport Jorg Schmadtke.

"We are pleased that one of Austria's biggest talents has chosen Hannover."

Royer should be part of the Austria team which faces Germany in Gelsenkirchen on Friday.

The 21-year-old is expected to make his Hannover debut in Stuttgart on September 10, although he will not be permitted to play in the Europa League clash with Standard Liege five days later since he has already appeared in the competition this season for Ried.

The Lower Saxony club would have moved to the top of the table with a win, but a week after seeing a clearly valid goal ruled out against Hertha Berlin, Slomka said a foul given against Lars Stindl as he entered the penalty area in a dangerous position could have cost his side two more points yesterday.

"I am fuming on the inside," he said. "The situation with Lars Stindl being blown is worse than the goal not being given against Hertha.

"They are slowly starting to add up. There was also the penalty we were not given against Sevilla.

"The lads are also getting frustrated."

Nevertheless, the point continued his side's unbeaten start to the season in all competitions, leaving it just a point behind leader Bayern Munich and Slomka could still look on the bright side.

"I find it amazing that my team was still able to find so much energy in the second half," he added.

"It was a great performance and a great game overall."

Mainz coach Thomas Tuchel was also satisfied with his side's point, coming as it did a week after its first defeat of the season.

"It was a fast and intensive game, just as I expected it to be," he said.

"We saw two teams who put a lot into this game. It was a good performance and I am pleased with it."

A 1-1 second-leg draw in Spain completed a 3-2 aggregate playoff victory for the German team and left Slomka delighted.

"There was everything in this game," he said. "And we kept a cool head.

"We did a very clever job and attacked them and I think this win was not undeserved.

"Now the players can relax a little. I am particularly delighted for our fans."

Schalke also progressed to make it two Bundesliga teams out of two in Saturday's draw.

The Royal Blues overturned a 2-0 first-leg deficit to knock out HJK Helsinki 6-3 on aggregate thanks to a 6-1 win in Gelsenkirchen.

However, it was never plain sailing for Ralf Rangnick's side, who needed a second-half salvo from Klaas Jan Huntelaar to finally see off the plucky visitors.

"It was an exciting 90 minutes and it was never boring," Rangnick said.

"Both teams played their part in an attractive game. It was entertaining for the fans, but certainly not so good for the nerves of the coach.

"But I am proud, satisfied and happy that we have reached the group stage of the Europa League."

The former Alemannia Aachen and Bayern Munich striker struck twice in the first half to give Mirko Slomka's side its fourth straight victory of the season in all competitions, and he feels it has nothing to fear at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan next week.

"If we can call upon the same passion, then I am not worried at all about Sevilla," he said.

"We have been able to draw a lot of self-confidence out of last season and the last three wins.

"We can be absolutely delighted with our performance."

Conceding an away goal complicates matters slightly but Slomka is just proud of what his side has already achieved.

"The goal is frustrating, but you could see that we are on the same level as them and we deserved this win," he said.

"It was a great game for all involved.

"We have given a good advert of Hannover and we head to Sevilla in confident mood."

Jan Schlaudraff scored directly from a free-kick while Hoffenheim goalkeeper Tom Starke was still lining up his wall.

The goal was allowed to stand, but former top referee Markus Merk told Sky television at half-time that, according to the rules, the goal should have been disallowed.

Kinhofer, however, says Merk got his assessment of the incident wrong.

"You should not always believe what the so-called experts say," he said.

"Everything was done in accordance with the rules. I asked the player Schlaudraff if I should move the wall back and he said he did not need the wall as he wanted to take the kick immediately.

"Therefore, I did not have to whistle to allow the kick to be taken.

"With dead-ball situations, substitutions or yellow cards, the game can only proceed again after the whistle, but not after normal fouls."

Merk said he had "made a mistake" and "lacked concentration" in allowing Schlaudraff to take the free-kick, and Hoffenheim goalkeeper Starke was incensed with the decision.

"If the referee does not make the ball dead, then he has got to signal that to us rather than leaving me to look like a mug," he told reporters.

Hannover went on to win the game 2-1 thanks to a penalty from Mohammed Abdellaoue after Sejad Salihovic had brought Hoffenheim level from the spot.

There were no complaints about either of the penalty decisions, however.

Two goals in the space of three minutes just before half-time from Mohammed Abdellaoue and Jan Schlaudraff left Sunderland on the back foot.

Although Stephane Sessegnon got it back in it, Erdal Akdari wrapped up the victory for the German side with six minutes to go.

Norwich City, also in Germany, plundered eight goals as it took on two teams in Gottingen, playing the opening 45 minutes against Sparta and the second half against RSV.

There were four goals in either half, with James Vaughan scoring twice before further strikes from Simeon Jackson and George Francomb gave Norwich victory over Sparta.

Against RSV, Steve Morison scored his first goal in Norwich colours, followed by an Elliott Bennett goal and a late brace from Elliott Ward.

Trialist Robert Stambolziev got on the scoresheet for Stoke City with the opening goal in its 6-0 win over Newcastle Town.

Kenwyne Jones added a brace while Jermaine Pennant, Glenn Whelan and Jonathan Walters got the others.

Queens Park Rangers had to wait for the 90th minute for Heidar Helguson to break the deadlock and give it a 1-0 win over Plymouth Argyle.

Helguson had come on when new signing Jay Bothroyd limped off in the first half. There was also a start for Kieron Dyer in the match.

The American fullback was forced off during his country's 4-2 Gold Cup final defeat against Mexico with an ankle injury but Hannover boss Mirko Slomka revealed he should be ready to lead out his side come the start of the new Bundesliga campaign.

"The news disturbs our preparation but Stevie will be quickly back to health and well for the new season, he is a very important part of our team," Slomka said.

Cherundolo, 32, has played over 300 games for Hannover and the forthcoming season will be his 13th with the club.

The 29-year-old spent last season at Hannover in the Bundesliga but his appearances were scarce after his move from Scottish club Rangers, where he enjoyed a successful three years.

The arrival of Beasley was announced by the club on its Twitter, saying: "DaMarcus Beasley confirmed, further strengthening the team."

The 27-year-old left-back will be reunited with former Schalke boss Mirko Slomka after signing a one-year deal.

Hannover sporting director Joerg Schmadtke welcomed the arrival of Pander, who won two caps for Germany in 2007, as the club looks to build ahead of its return to Europe next season.

"Christian will provide experience that will help the club next season," Schmadtke told the club's website.

"He has demonstrated his class at this level many times.

"Our coach Mirko Slomka already knows him from his time at Schalke and he will be able to fit into our system perfectly."

Hannover finished fourth in the Bundesliga table last season to earn a place in the UEFA Europa League play-offs.

"I take this kind of thing seriously," Slomka told the newspaper Bild am Sonntag.

"I think that Bayern want to cause trouble."

According to German media reports, Bayern is interested in signing the striker, who has scored 13 league goals this season and has a 10 million euro ($13.56 million) departure clause in his contract.

"It doesn't impress us," added Slomka.

"We're happy to play fair with Bayern and keep putting them under pressure."

The two sides are currently locked in a battle for third place in the Bundesliga, which represents the final UEFA Champions League qualifying position.

With three matches to play this season, Hannover leads Bayern by a point.

Bayern has three senior strikers in its squad - league top scorer Mario Gomez, Miroslav Klose and Ivica Olic - but Klose is coming towards the end of his contract and Olic is recovering after a serious knee injury.

The 3-1 victory at Freiburg took the Lower Saxony side back above Bayern and into third.

And while Bayern can overtake it once more with a win at Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday (AEST), Slomka is determined to finish third and have a crack at the game's elite next season.

"Now Bayern are under pressure," said Slomka.

"We have three games left and we want to get the maximum from them."

But even if Hannover fails to keep its nose in front of Bayern, it has already exceeded all expectations this season.

After defeat in the first round of the DFB-Pokal to third-division opposition, Slomka's job was on the line, but his side has remained in the top five since day one of the season and are now assured of their place in the Europa League next season.

"We can finally say that we have reached the Europa League," said Slomka.

"We have been courageous all week by setting ourselves high goals and the team has put that into practice on the field today.

"We deserved to win this game."

Mohamed Abdellaoue, Jan Schlaudraff and Konstantin Rausch put the visitor in command before Jan Rosenthal pulled a goal back for Freiburg 11 minutes from time.

The result moves it to within two points of second-placed Bayer Leverkusen, while a sixth home defeat of the season means the home side stays eighth.

Freiburg threatened first when, in the 12th minute, Julian Schuster's curling free-kick was well punched clear by goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler.

Hannover responded nine minutes later through Rausch, whose long-range effort went narrowly wide.

And three minutes later it was ahead when Schlaudraff found Abdellaoue, who scored with a low shot.

Zieler needed to be at his best to deny Schuster a 28th-minute equaliser - although the referee did not see that the goalkeeper got a hand to the Freiburg player's right-footed curling shot and failed to give a corner.

Hannover doubled the advantage in the 31st minute, with Lars Stindl winning possession and finding Schlaudraff, who drilled home a low shot into the corner.

Zieler preserved the two-goal advantage four minutes before the break when he denied Freiburg's Anton Putsila.

The points were secured in the 58th minute when Rausch converted Manuel Schmiedebach's excellent chip to make it 3-0.

Freiburg kept battling however, and after Rosenthal had brought another good save out of Zieler 20 minutes from time, it got a consolation goal through the midfielder's low 15-yard effort.

The German international rounded Florian Fromlowitz for his 11th goal of the season in the 60th minute and set up Milivoje Novakovic for a simple tap in.

Petit opened the scoring against the run of play with a free kick in the 36th, and Novakovic scored his second in the final minute.

Fromlowitz produced a stunning double save to prevent an own goal from Emanuel Pogatetz in the 57th, when Podolski's dangerous cross came off the defender's shin.

Koln rises to 10th, while Hannover remains third - 14 points behind leader Borussia Dortmund.

The club, which lies third in the Bundesliga table, confirmed a verbal agreement had been reached with the 43-year-old.

The contract will be signed on Wednesday.

The contract extension puts an end to speculation Slomka, whose side avoided relegation on the last day of the season last term, would leave his post at the end of the season.

Slomka told the club's official website: "I am well aware that the days of negotiations were not always understandable for people on the outside.

"But I am and remain at Hannover out of a deep inner conviction. The work here is fun, I receive a lot of support. The team has made excellent progress.

"I now want to intensively build on further progress. And that is of course in my home town a particularly attractive task - above all because of our fans and spectators, who stand closely behind us."

Sporting director Jorg Schmadtke was relieved the negotiations had reached a successful conclusion.

"The negotiations have taken a little longer than expected, but we now have a good basis to continue the constructive cooperation for the success of Hannover," he said. "We both have the same goal."

President Martin Kind added: "We are very happy that coach Mirko Slomka will continue his successful work with our team.

"Together with the team he has achieved a lot in the last year: survival was secured after an unusually difficult season, then followed the best first half of a Bundesliga season for our club."

The 27-year-old former Germany striker, who has joined on a free transfer, has penned a contract until 2013.

"Mike is a man with an eye for goal, he will intensify the competition for places in attack for us," said sporting director Max Eberl on www.borussia.de

Hanke has scored three league goals in seven substitute appearances this term.

Hanke, who will start training with Monchengladbach when it returns from the winter break on 2 January, spent three years at Hannover after spells with Schalke and Wolfsburg.

His new club has won just two of their opening 17 league games, but, with Hannover having finished fourth from bottom last term, Hanke insists relegation fights are nothing new to him.

"I also battled against relegation for two years when I was at Wolfsburg, so this is not a new territory for me," he said.

"I know what it means, but have still never been relegation and I don't want to experience that. Therefore I will do everything so that we will also be playing in the top flight next term."

Contract talks between Slomka and the Lower Saxony club broke down recently when Slomka said the offer he had received did not fairly reflect what he has achieved with the club.

Negotiations are likely to recommence over Christmas and Slomka is optimistic about them ending positively, although he insists he is not holding the club to ransom.

"I expect a solution will be found before the second half of the season starts," he told the Hannover Neue Presse newspaper.

"As far as my earnings are concerned, I am still in the lower regions of the Bundesliga and I don't think that I belong to the big earners or even that I will leap above the average."

Slomka therefore believes it should not be too difficult for the club to fulfil his wishes.

"My new contract is not rocket science," he added.

Hannover end the year in fourth position in the Bundesliga with 31 points, which is already only three wins short of its minimum aim for the entire season.

The club is only two points adrift of second-placed Mainz and 12 behind the league leader Borussia Dortmund, but perhaps more importantly, the relegation zone is a comfortable 16 points behind.

Ya Konan opened the scoring in the 35th minute and struck the winner just two minutes after Georg Niedermeier's 74th-minute equaliser.

The win lifted Hannover to second in the Bundesliga table, for 24 hours at least, while Stuttgart remains in the bottom three.

Ya Konan spent no time imposing himself, cutting inside from the right and creating space for a shot with a neat step-over before firing straight at goalkeeper Sven Ulreich.

Ya Konan then laid the ball off for Lars Stindl whose effort was parried by Ulreich, while Emanuel Pogatetz headed a great chance from Sergio Pinto's corner over the crossbar at the far post.

And the pressure told as the host went ahead 10 minutes before the break.

A hopeless attempted clearance from Manuel Schmiedebach's ball across goal fell right to the unmarked Ya Konan and, with just Ulreich to beat, he slid the ball through the keeper's legs and into the net.

Schmiedebach made a crucial intervention at the other end to keep Hannover in front, blocking a header from Cacau, who had arrived at the far post, on the line.

Ulreich continued to be by far the busier stopper, though, and he had to tip Sofian Chahed's long-range effort round the post.

But it was a mistake from Hannover goalkeeper Florian Fromlowitz which gave Stuttgart its equaliser in the 74th minute.

He came to punch clear Timo Gebhart's free-kick but was beaten to the ball by Niedermeier, whose header found the net.

Just two minutes, though, Ya Konan put Hannover back in front with another clinical finish.

The Ivorian ran on to a long ball from Christian Schulz and, one-on-one with Ulreich, again coolly nutmegged the keeper.

Stuttgart had a late chance to snatch a point but Johan Audel's header from Arthur Boka's cross went narrowly wide.

That victory took the Lower Saxony club four points clear of its opponent and seven and eight points ahead of its other rivals in the north Werder Bremen and Wolfsburg respectively.

"We want to try and remain the number one in the north," said Slomka

"Our self-confidence is growing when we play big clubs."

Hamburg, meanwhile, is failing to do itself justice , according to coach Armin Veh.

"Eighteen points from 13 games, that is far too little," he told the Welt newspaper.

"That does not comply with our expectations.

"To be honest, it makes me sick."

Nevertheless, he had a reason for his side's fifth league defeat of the season.

"We have an incredible misfortune with injuries and that has been dragging on throughout the whole season," he said.

"I have never experienced anything like this in my 20 years in the job.

"When Bayern came to Hamburg a few weeks ago, they were moaning that they had three or four players out.

"What should we say? We have 10 men out at the same time. These are the facts."

The Tunisian was sent off in his side's 4-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund on the weekend.

With the dismissal coming so soon after his sending off in the 1-0 win over St Pauli on 1 October, the German Football Association has chosen to ban him for the next five league games.

The 26-year-old will therefore only be available again for Hannover's final game of 2010 against Nurnberg on 18 December.

His club has accepted the verdict and is likely to punish the player additionally.

"I think we can assume that Karim is going to be fined," said an annoyed Hannover coach Mirko Slomka after his side's heavy defeat.

The travelling fans at the Niedersachsen Stadion vented their frustration at Soldo and the club's general manager Michael Meier, who remained silent after the match, calling for urgent changes.

Club president Wolfgang Overath appears to have registered their discontent and could take action on Sunday.

"The way the team played for 80 minutes here was disappointing," he told the Express newspaper.

"I cannot find an explanation for it. Now we have to consider our options and sleep on it for a night."

And Soldo realises his future is hanging by a thread.

"A coach needs results - I know how things work in this business," he said.

Cologne has won just one game all season - the same as Stuttgart, who has already changed its coach; Borussia Monchengladbach, whose coach Michael Frontzeck's job is also on the line; and Schalke, who is keeping faith in its manager Felix Magath.

Enke committed suicide, aged 32, on 10 November, 2009 having suffered from bouts of depression, and his death rocked football-mad Germany.

The Hannover 96 shot-stopper was set to travel to South Africa with the national squad to play in the 2010 World Cup and the Germany squad attended his funeral, held at the Hannover 96 ground last November.

Loew, Zwanziger and Germany team manager Oliver Bierhoff want to mark the first anniversary of Enke's death by visiting his grave near Hannover to lay a wreath before meeting his widow Teresa.

"It is important for all of us to do this," Bierhoff told German newspaper Bild.

Enke's suicide has highlighted the issues around depression in Germany and a foundation has been set up in his memory.

"We shouldn't only praise our stars, we must also be able to also talk about our weaknesses," commented Zwanziger.

A 4-2 triumph over Hoffenheim a fortnight ago saw Thomas Tuchel's team equal the record shared by Bayern Munich and Kaiserslautern of seven straight victories at the start of a season, but another win this weekend would erase their names from the record books.

However, as impressive as Mainz's winning streak may be, it could find itself in second place when it takes to the field.

Borussia Dortmund has the chance to move to the top of the table for the first time since May 2002, when it last won the title.

It can move above Mainz on goal difference if it beats Cologne to make it seven wins in a row after losing to Bayer Leverkusen on the opening day of the season.

But the club's director of sport Michael Zorc has warned that it will not be a walk in the park tomorrow night.

"I am not happy about the atmosphere ahead of this game," he said.

"Everybody is only talking about the margin of our victory. If we were not to match those expectations, then people would be disappointed and that is not right.

"Cologne are a lot better than the league table suggests."

Both Mainz and Dortmund have moved clear of the rest of the pack, led by third-placed Hannover, which will look to pile more misery on Bayern Munich this weekend.

The record German champion has made its worst ever start to a Bundesliga season with just eight points from the first seven matches and the club's bosses have made it clear they will not tolerate anything but a win at the Allianz Arena.

However, an injury to captain Mark van Bommel has not only complicated matters, but it has also led to a new war of words between Bayern and the Dutch Football Federation.

Coach Louis van Gaal must somehow try to get the focus back onto the field for a game which must be won to avoid potentially falling 16 points behind the league's summit.

If Bayern thought it was having a bad run at the moment, its season has been a considerable success compared to those of Schalke and Stuttgart.

They meet at the Arena AufSchalke, with both sides having won just one game all season while the Royal Blues have lost five and the Swabians have lost six.

Stuttgart reacted to its alarming start this week by sacking coach Christian Gross and replacing him with his assistant Jens Keller, who sits on the bench alone for the first time this weekend.

Elsewhere, high-flying Wolfsburg and Bayer Leverkusen clash and fifth-placed Freiburg heads to Werder Bremen.

St Pauli hosts Nurnberg while Kaiserslautern entertains Eintracht Frankfurt and Hoffenheim hosts Borussia Monchengladbach.

Ebbers netted on a counter attack after just six minutes, heading home a cross from Bastian Oczipka via the right post.

It was St Pauli's third win on the road in four away games, while the club only has a draw and two losses at home. The promoted side moved to sixth place with 10 points ahead of the other weekend games. It was only Hannover's second loss of the season, and the club remained in third on 13 points.

The Lower Saxony side broke into the Bundesliga's top three with its fourth victory of the season, but Slomka was preoccupied by the conditions of two key members of his squad after the game.

"Our delight at the three points is dampened by the injuries to Didier and Moa," he said on the club's website.

"Ya Konan looks like he has torn knee ligaments and Abdellaoue had to go to hospital with suspected concussion.

"He will be kept in for observation and will return to Hannover tomorrow."

Kaiserslautern coach Marco Kurz said his side had also paid a heavy price, but not in the form of injuries.

"We have been taught a lesson again," he said.

"The team started courageously, but midway through the first half, we did not stick to our positions any more.

"As a result, we conceded the goal.

"This is a learning process that we have got to come through."

Mohamed Abdellaoui's goal just after the half-hour proved decisive at the Fritz-Walter-Stadion as the visiting side moved within five points of leader Mainz.

Elsewhere, Grafite scored two goals to lead Wolfsburg to its third straight league victory at the expense of Freiburg.

The Brazilian's 25th-minute opener was cancelled out by Papiss Demba Cisse, but Grafite found the back of the net again in the 64th minute - his fourth goal in the past two games - to secure a 2-1 win for Steve McClaren's side.

The win moved the 2009 champion into sixth place on nine points - above its visitor on goal difference - after starting the season with three straight losses.

Having been stunned by a goal after just 36 seconds, Bayern hit back as Ribery's fierce long-range shot was followed up by Thomas Muller on 62 minutes before Munich defender Daniel van Buyten's late winner.

But Muller's equaliser could be costly as Ribery had to be helped off with what looked like a painful knee injury on 64 minutes as he fell awkwardly after taking his shot.

With Bayern facing Basel in next week's Champions League match, Munich coach Louis van Gaal will be hoping the Frenchman can face the Swiss side.

Bayern got off to the worst possible start when it conceded the fastest goal in Hoffenheim's history.

The defending champion was stunned as midfielder Sebastian Rudy beat Munich's defence on the right and squared for Hoffenheim's Veded Ibisevic to score before Bayern hit back.

Van Gaal is set to sign a year's extension to his contract to stay with Bayern until 2012, according to the German daily Bild.

Having coached Bayern to the German league and cup titles last season, van Gaal is in his second season with Munich.

"Nothing is signed. All I can say is that we are very happy with the work of Louis van Gaal," said Bayern's sporting director Christian Nerlinger.

The result in Hoffenheim lifts Bayern up to seventh while the host is second.

Mainz picked up its fifth straight win to keep its 100 percent record and open a five-point lead with the win over Cologne.

The host took the lead when subsititute midfielder Lewis Holtby's header beat Cologne goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon on 72 minutes before he scored his second in added time.

Champions League side Werder Bremen slumped to its second consecutive league defeat when it was beaten 4-1 at Hanover.

Bremen faces defending Champions League title holder Inter Milan next week in Italy, but Thomas Schaaf's side is lacking in confidence after following up its last start defeat at home to Mainz with this loss in Hanover.

An own-goal by Germany defender Clemens Fritz after just 10 minutes put Bremen on the back foot until captain Torsten Frings converted a penalty after 36 minutes to put his side level.

Hanover reclaimed the lead when Ivorian striker Didier Ya Konan scored in the 53rd minute before defender Christian Schulz scored the second on 79 minutes.

To add insult in extra time, Hanover's Norway striker Mohammed Abdellaoue added the fourth.

In Wednesday's (Thursday morning AEST) games, bottom side Schalke is at fourth-placed Freiburg and desperate to avoid its fifth straight defeat.

Beasley, who left Rangers at the end of last season, has signed a two-year contract with the Bundesliga club after an injury-plagued spell in Scotland.

Hannover sporting director Jorg Schmadtke said: "DaMarcus' signing adds a further option to our squad.

"That is necessary for a long Bundesliga season - one in which we have made a great start, but one that will still bring many twists and turns in the coming months."

Hannover coach Mirko Slomka was equally pleased to have snapped up the 28-year-old.

He said: "It is a positive sign for Hannover to be able to attract a further American national player.

"DaMarcus brings with him great international experience, and can help give us that extra push in the Bundesliga."

Beasley is excited at the prospect of linking up with international teammate Steve Cherundolo at Hannover.

"I already know about Hannover because I played a friendly here two years ago," Beasley said.

"It will be great to play for the same domestic team as Steve. The Bundesliga will be a fantastic challenge for me."

The former Bayern Munich and Germany striker was originally one of 19 players selected for the Bundesliga opener, but Slomka decided at the last minute that he did not want Schlaudraff in the dressing room.

"His performances in training at the start of the week prompted me to have a word with him on Wednesday," explained Slomka on his club's website.

"Unfortunately, Jan did not show the desired reaction like Kocka (Konstantin Rausch) or Djappi (Constant Djakpa).

"We cannot allow any player to hold back."

Slomka's decision appeared to be vindicated as substitute Didier Ya Konan gave the Lower Saxony club a winning start to the season.

"This win makes us happy after a turbulent few days," admitted Slomka, whose job appeared to be on the line after an embarrassing DFB-Pokal defeat to fourth division opponents last weekend.

"We were able to cope with the pressure this time."

However, the win was overshadowed by a serious injury to winger Carlitos, whose debut for the Reds lasted only four minutes.

The 27-year-old tore knee ligaments while attempting to reach the ball and now faces six months out.

The 24-year-old, who has Moroccan roots, has signed for the Reds just in time for the start of the Bundesliga season during which his new club hopes he can show why he managed to score 30 goals in 67 games for Valerenga.

"We have had our eyes on Mohammed for a while now and have been in contact with him for a long time, and that has now paid off," said Hannover's director of sport Jorg Schmadtke.

"His goals-per-game ratio speaks for itself."

Abdellaoue is looking forward to making his Bundesliga debut against Eintracht Frankfurt this weekend and is keen to let his actions speak louder than words.

"I am not going to promise goals, I would rather just score them," he said.

The United States international inherits the armband from Hanno Ballitsch, who left the club to join Bayer Leverkusen this northern summer.

Before Ballitsch, Robert Enke had worn the armband since 2007 until his death last November.

Cherundolo is currently Hannover's longest-serving player, having arrived from the States in 1999. He has just put pen to paper on a new three-year contract with the Reds.

Karim Haggui and Christian Schulz have been named as vice-captains.

The 33-year-old striker made up his mind to bring a premature end to his deal, which still had a year left to run, after helping the club avoid relegation to the second division this season.

Hannover agreed to release the player due to his eight years' service to the club, according to an announcement on its website.

Stajner made a total of 229 appearances for the Reds, scoring 42 goals including the equaliser in the 2-2 draw with Borussia Monchengladbach in the penultimate round of league matches - a goal which went a long way to securing the club's top-flight status.

With six goals, he was the club's second highest scorer in the recently-completed Bundesliga campaign.

The former Germany international committed suicide last November after battling with depression and the tragedy took its toll on the team as they slipped down the league into the relegation zone.

However, two wins in the final two games of the season ensured survival, Saturday's win sending Bochum down, and the players remembered Enke by holding up a banner which read 'Robert Enke: R.I.P' at the end of the match.

"We have won for one man who is in heaven, and he is Robert Enke," said his successor in the Hannover goal, Florian Fromlowitz.

"I hope that I never have to experience a season like this ever again."

Fromlowitz broke down in tears at the final whistle, while the rest of the team struggled to fight them back as they celebrated in front of their own fans, who responded by calling Enke's name.

"The tears are a clear sign of how much the team misses Robert Enke," said coach Mirko Slomka.

"They are tears of joy and tears of remembrance."

While Hannover were celebrating an emotional victory, Bochum were relegated back to the second division.

A group of fans stormed onto the field to confront the players while missiles were thrown from the stands.

"I can understand their frustration," said coach Dariusz Wosz. "It is a catastrophe."

Wosz is unlikely to remain in charge of the club next season as an overhaul is planned to bring the club straight back into the top flight.

"We have the possibility of keeping this same squad in the second division since we have a licence to do so, but the fact is we want to go into the second division with a different team," said the club's director of sport Thomas Ernst.

The 23-year-old has three caps for Cote d'Ivoire and is on loan to Hannover from Bayer Leverkusen, but underwent surgery to repair his right knee which he injured in training.

"Only with the ideal healing process would Constant play for us again this season," said Hanonver coach Mirko Slomka. "The chances are minimal."

Djakpa has played regularly for Hannover, which is 16th in the Bundesliga, and made 23 appearances in the German league this season.

Cote d'Ivoire has drawn Brazil, North Korea and Portugal in Group G at the World Cup.