By DPA
Hanover : Bundesliga club Hanover 96 retained their chance of qualifying for international football next season with a 2-0 league victory over rivals Energie Cottbus.
The victory Friday saw Hanover jump two places in the table and move up to seventh, which would see them enter the UI Cup, which in turn allows the top clubs to qualify for the UEFA Cup. Cottbus drop one place to ninth.
Over 40,000 fans in the AWD Arena in Hanover saw the home side grab the lead eight minutes from the break when Brazilian Vinicius headed in a cross from Szaboics Huszti.
Iranian international Vahid Hashemian had four chances to add a second before the break, but failed to give Hanover a comfortable half-time lead.
Hanover continued dominating the game in the second half and sealed victory seven minutes from the end through Arnold Bruggink who scored from another Huszti cross.
Hanover coach Dieter Hecking paid a tribute to his players after the match. "I am happy the way they played. We showed some quality, but we worked hard for that. Now we need to make sure that we qualify for the UI Cup."
On Sunday, Werder Bremen, who are a point behind, face a difficult task in Berlin.