Braunschweig beat Hannover 2:0 in derby halted by stoppage-time flares

Derby result

Eintracht Braunschweig beat Hannover 96 2:0 (1:0) in the 185th Lower Saxony derby on Sunday, 25 October, in the 2. Bundesliga. Max Marie scored in the 17th minute and Yann Sturm added a second in the 90+2nd minute, according to Der Tagesspiegel. Tagesspiegel judged the win deserved, noting that Hannover held more of the ball at times and was more dangerous after the break, while Braunschweig were simply more effective. NDR called the win not undeserved given the home side's strong first half, but said Hannover dominated the second half and had good chances to equalise. NDR also reported that it was Braunschweig's first win over the rivals since October 2024. The defeat leaves Hannover, under new coach Sandro Wagner, winless in his third game in charge, and NDR reported that the club had slipped to 16th place.

Goalkeeper substitution

The win was overshadowed by the loss of Eintracht goalkeeper and captain Ron Thorben Hoffmann. Playing in front of more than 22,000 spectators, Hoffmann was led off the pitch visibly dazed after a rescue operation, according to Der Tagesspiegel. Benjamin Uphoff came on in his place. The match then moved into its final stoppage, which was the main disruption of the afternoon.

Pyrotechnics and stoppage

In stoppage time after the second goal, pyrotechnics were fired from the Hannover block into other blocks and onto the pitch, with flares thrown onto the field, Tagesspiegel reported. An NDR reporter at the ground said the fireworks flew over a buffer block that held only stewards and firefighters. Firefighters tried to push masked Hannover fans back into their own block with extinguishing water, the reporter said, while NDR described black smoke drifting through the stadium. Referee Tobias Reichel (Stuttgart) stopped the match, and play resumed after about ten minutes, according to Tagesspiegel.

Injuries outside the stadium

Police said four people were hurt in connection with a fan march, which 1,700 Eintracht supporters joined. One employee of the Braunschweiger Verkehrs-GmbH was struck by a firework and taken to hospital. NDR reported that two people were injured on Rheingoldstraße next to the stadium after home fans set off pyrotechnics, and two ambulances attended, while how the fourth person was hurt remains unclear. Police asked witnesses to an incident near the corner of Hamburger Straße and Wendenring to come forward. NDR also reported isolated firecracker throws and insulting chants, and Hannover supporters had a special train waiting at Hannover Hauptbahnhof, which police said travelled to Braunschweig without problems.

Stolen choreography

Eintracht's fan scene had planned a choreography for the derby, but much of the material was taken in mid-October. Hannover 96 supporters are suspected of breaking into a hall rented by Braunschweig fans and stealing it. Flyers handed out inside the stadium told fans that a large part of the choreography was no longer in their hands and could not be carried out at the derby. NDR reported that pieces of the stolen material were held up in the Hannover away block, and Eintracht supporters answered with hostile chants.