October in the 2. Bundesliga: Hannover take advantage of top sides' struggles, Schalke’s crisis continues:

Proponents of the 2. Bundesliga always say that it’s a league where anyone can beat anyone. Alternatively, it’s a league where nobody beats the teams they should.

Matchday 11 of the 2. Liga season saw only one top half team pick up a win. It’s a fitting way to start November, after October was defined by a complete lack of consistency from the front runners. It all makes for an exciting fight at the top, with just three points separating the top five, and three more covering the top ten. 

Fortuna Düsseldorf were top but lost to promoted Münster on Friday, their third loss in their last four games. Magdeburg were second at the start of October but have managed just two points since. Hamburg were flying two weeks ago with comfortable wins over both the top two, then dropped points to Elversberg and Nürnberg. And so it’s Hannover who take over first place, beating Karlsruhe 2-1 in a direct fight for top with some help from a highly debatable late penalty.