Hertha Berlin have climbed further away from the Bundesliga relegation zone by securing a 2-0 win against struggling SC Paderborn in today's clash at the Olympiastadion.
The visitors were first to threaten when Patrick Ziegler's headed flick-on from a corner fell to Jens Wemmer, but the 29-year-old blasted over from a few yards out.
Salomon Kalou then saw his header blocked by the Paderborn defence as the game found itself broken up by a near-constant flow of fouls and challenges from both sides.
There was a flurry of action at both ends towards the end of the first half, but the contest would remain goalless at the break.
Paderborn came out firing on all cylinders after the restart, but they would be undone through their own recklessness when Rafa gave away a free kick on the edge of the box.
Though Marvin Plattenhardt's set piece was saved, the rebound fell to Valentin Stocker, who made no mistake from very close range.
The visitors struggled to get back into the game after conceding and, despite a few forays in the final third followed by half-chances, they failed to trouble their opponents.
Hertha succeeded in killing off the game with just two minutes to go when Peter Pekarik's cross was bundled in by Nico Schulz.
The result means that Michael Preetz's charges climb to 11th in the Bundesliga table, establishing a seven-point gap over 16th-placed Hamburger SV, while Paderborn remain second from bottom.
Giuseppe Labellarte
