From the beginning Hannover were unable to gain a foothold in the match as the hosts dictated the proceedings on the pitch, reports Xinhua.
Schalke's Jefferson Farfan broke the deadlock 44 minutes into the game. The Peruvian international utilised a long throw in by teammate Christian Fuchs to nutmeg Hannover's goalkeeper Ron Robert Zieler.
After the break Schalke started where they left off and reaped instant dividends, as Julian Draxler was able to exploit Lewis Holtby's assist in the 49th minute to make it 2-0.
It looked like the "Royal Blue" were headed for an easy win but the match took an unexpected turn when Sergio Pinto's long-range shot brought Hannover back into the game.
Only four minutes later, Hannover levelled the score through Szabolcs Huzsti who had all time and space to handle Chahed Sofian's cross to slot home into the bottom right corner.
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Schalke remained unfazed and responded with two goals five minutes later. Marco Hoeger slotted home after a one two with Holtby to beat Zieler whereas Ciprian Marica made it 4-2 after a solo run and goal following a fast break at the 67th minute.
Hannover refused to die down as Huszti again reduced the lead to 4-3 in the 68th minute.
Finally, Holtby sealed the win for Schalke when he utilised the build up play by Farfan with two minutes left.
Hannover's Mame Biram Diouf capped it all off when he marked the final 5-4 score with an overhead kick in injury time.