Vahid Hashemian plays 15 min as Hannover stalls Schalke

The hosts were pegged back as early as the eighth minute after Arnold Bruggink gave Hannover the lead.

However, Schalke went into the break on level terms thanks to a strike from Halil Altintop five minutes before half-time.

With second-placed Werder Bremen winning a draw was not an ideal result for Schalke as they look to secure automatic qualification to the Champions League group stage for next season.

But the result could have been even worse considering Hannover took a deserved lead so early in the game.

The visitors had been on top in the opening exchanges before Bruggink stepped up to curl a free-kick from the left straight into the net.

They could have had a second after 17 minutes when former Schalke forward Mike Hanke made space for himself on the edge of the box but failed to seriously test home keeper Manuel Neuer with his shot.

Schalke failed to test Robert Enke in the Hannover goal before they levelled with their first meaningful attack of the game after 40 minutes.

Altintop found space on the edge of the box and beat his marker before floating a superb lob over Enke, who had drifted off his line.

The goal gave way to a more open second half with chances for both sides.

Altintop had another chance after 56 minutes when he fired just wide with Enke beaten, but Hannover responded immediately as Bruggink rattled a shot onto the post.

Kevin Kuranyi came closest next for the hosts, while Bruggink again missed a chance to hand his side the lead, but in the end neither side found the breakthrough their play deserved.