Two goals for Ondrej Duda kept Hertha Berlin in the hunt for European qualification as they clinically saw off Nuremberg, who remain bottom of the table.

Nuremberg 1-3 Hertha Berlin
Goals: 0-1 Ibisevic (15’), 1-1 Behrens (42’), 1-2 Duda (50’), 1-3 Duda (70’)

The home side got off to the better start in the freezing Bavarian temperatures, but it was in fact Hertha who struck first after a quarter of an hour when Vedad Ibisevic exchanged a quick one-two with Davie Selke on the edge of the Nuremberg box and curled his seventh goal of the season past Christian Mathenia with his team’s first shot of the game. The bulk of the action, however, continued to take place at the other end of the field, although Rune Jarstein was rarely tested. The Norwegian was beaten though shortly before the break when the capital club failed to clear a corner and Nuremberg captain Hanno Behrens tapped home Eduard Löwen’s driven effort to level the game and end Der Club’s 435-minute goal drought.

The start of the second 45 minutes followed a similar pattern to the first with the promoted side on the front foot but suffering another setback seemingly out of nothing when Duda curled home his eighth of the season after Selke’s back heel from a Valentino Lazaro cross. The three points were then wrapped up and on their way back to Berlin when Duda fired home his second of the game after a Selke pass somehow found its way through the home defence. The result leaves Hertha knocking on the door of Europe, but Nuremberg rooted to the bottom of the Bundesliga table.

Watch: Duda delighted to grab brace

Match stats

• Duda is Hertha’s top scorer in the Bundesliga this season with nine goals – the highest scoring midfielder in the league this season.
• Berlin captain Ibisevic has scored six goals in his last seven meetings with Nuremberg, including the winner on Matchday 1.
• This was Hertha’s first league win at Nuremberg in eight attempts since a 3-0 victory in March 2003.
• Nuremberg have the most porous defence in this season’s Bundesliga (41 goals conceded), while only Stuttgart (14) have scored fewer goals than Nuremberg (15) after 18 matches.
• Behrens is Nuremberg’s top scorer this season with three goals, but his previous two both came from the penalty spot.
• This was the seventh away win of Matchday 18, equalling the all-time Bundesliga record.

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Line-ups

Nuremberg: Mathenia – Valentini, Margreitter, Ewerton, Leibold – Behrens (c), Petrak, Löwen (Knöll 82’)– Misidjan, Ishak, Pereira (Kubo 82’)
Unused subs: Bredlow, Salli, Kerk, Palacios, Mühl
Out: Bauer (thigh), Lippert (knee), Goden (illness), Rhein (thigh)
Coach: Michael Köllner

Hertha: Jarstein – Lazaro, Lustenberger (c), Rekik, Plattenhardt – Grujic (Darida 57’), Stark, Maier – Duda – Selke (Köpke 89'), Ibisevic
Unused subs: Smarsch, Pekarik, Skjelbred, Kalou, Mittelstädt
Out: Dilrosun (thigh), Kade (ankle), Leckie (Asian Cup), Luckassen (ankle), Gersbeck (knee), Torunarigha (dead leg)
Coach: Pal Dardai

About the clubs

Hertha BSC

Olympiastadion

1. FC Nürnberg

Max-Morlock-Stadion