Ciprian Marica scored twice as Stuttgart bounced back from their Champions League elimination with a win over Hannover.

Marica put the hosts ahead in the 36th minute and doubled their advantage nine minutes after the break.

Just three days after losing 4-0 against Barcelona in the Champions League, Stuttgart snapped a two-game Bundesliga winless streak to improve to seventh place with 38 points - seven points from a Europa League spot.

Hannover headed into this encounter having won their last two games following a 13-match winless streak but remained in 16th place on 23 points.

The first chance went to Stuttgart after four minutes but Marica headed wide from five yards.

Hannover were close a minute later as Sergio Pinto looped a ball over Stuttgart goalkeeper Jens Lehmann to Didier Ya Konan, but he could not direct the ball home from three yards right of goal despite Lehmann being off his line.

Stuttgart's Georg Niedermeier headed over the bar from eight yards after 12 minutes, and Hannover goalkeeper Florian Fromlowitz made a decent save from Niedermeier's header 13 minutes later.

The hosts finally grabbed the lead in the 36th minute. Alexander Hleb raced down the left and crossed to Marica, who headed home from seven yards.

Stuttgart should have doubled the lead six minutes later as Cristian Molinaro's cross went to Marica, who headed against the bar from two yards with the goal at his mercy.

A mistake by Hannover defender Christian Schulz after 54 minutes presented Stuttgart with another chance for the second, however, and this time they did not pass it up.

Schulz's pass to Jan Durica was stolen by Marica and the Romanian beat Fromlowitz from 14 yards to seal the points.