BERLIN, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Hannover and Borussia Dortmund shared the spoils following a goalless draw at the opener of the second round of Bundesliga on Friday.
The "Reds" secured their second stalemate in as many games and denied the "BVB" the second win in a row.
Hannover staged a well-positioned defence and were able to disrupt Dortmund's attacking style of play in the first 45 minutes.
Dortmund came only close with two chances in the closing period. Hannover goalkeeper Michael Esser denied Marco Reus the opener following a one-on-one in the 40th minute. Reus remained in the thick of things but rattled only the crossbar two minutes later.
The visitors came out strong and struck the woodwork again in the 60th minute when Maximilian Philipp capitalized on Marius Wolf's cross into the box.
Hannover almost punished Dortmund's wastefulness in the closing stages as skipper Waldemar Anton missed the target with his volley from 10 meters in the 78th minute.
The hosts secured one point on home soil as Lucien Favre's men lacked in penetration to overcome Hannover's bulwark. It is hence the first draw in the team's 53rd encounter.
"In the end, this goalless draw is a fair result. We had a tough time and it was very difficult for us. We still have a lot of work ahead of us," Dortmund's head coach Lucien Favre said.
The following fixtures are scheduled for Saturday: Hoffenheim host Freiburg, Bayer Leverkusen face Wolfsburg, Eintracht Frankfurt take on Werder Bremen, newly promoted Nuremberg see Mainz, Augsburg meet Borussia Monchengladbach and Stuttgart clash with defending champions Bayern Munich.
