The former Perth Glory man had a number of shots on goal in Hertha’s win and forced Hannover keeper, Diego Benaglio into action on more then one occasion.

Rukavytsya was eventually substituted with eight minutes remaining as Swiss midfielder Fabian Lustenberger was introduced to add extra numbers in midfield for Markus Babbel’s men.

It was Hertha who took the lead on the 27 minute market when Raffael found the back of the net but the lead only lasted four minutes after Croatian forward Mario Mandzukic equalised for the home side.

There would be one more goal before the break and it would come from the visiting side as veteran Levan Kobiashvili tucked away a 36th penalty to send Hertha into the break with a 2-1 lead.

The second half saw plenty of opportunities for both sides but a goal would not arrive until the 84th minute.

Wolfsburg equalised through defender Marcel Schafer’s after his free kick managed to beat the wall but it was short-lived as Hertha hit straight back within a minute to restore their lead through Pierre-Michel Lasogga and send Hertha Berlin home with all three points. Rukavytsya’s men are now undefeated in three games.

Elsewhere in the Bundesliga, Mitchell Langerak returned to the Dortmund bench following his midweek clean sheet in the DFB Pokal. Number one keeper Roman Weidenfeller reacquainted himself between the sticks as travelling Dortmund were held to a 1-1 draw at Stuttgart.

Meanwhile Mathew Leckie was absent from the Borussia Monchengladbach side that prevailed 2-1 at home to Hannover thanks to a double from Marco Reus. Leckie, who only recently returned to fitness after injury, netted for Monchengladbach II in a Regionalliga West clash with SC Wiedenbruck which ended 1-1 on Friday.

In the English Premier League, Socceroo midfielder Tim Cahill was forced to sit out Everton’s 1-0 loss to defending champions, Manchester United with injury.

A 19th minute goal from Chicharito was enough for United to leave Goodison Park with all three points.

Elsewhere, in the English Premier League, Mark Schwarzer was kept busy throughout Fulham’s 2-0 win over Wigan at the DW Stadium.

It could have been a much different game if Wigan were able to convert a number of opportunities but goals from Dempsey and Dembele condemned the Latics to their eighth successive defeat.

Elsewhere, Chris Herd played a full game in midfield for Aston Villa in their 2-2 draw with Sunderland, after having his suspension for a red card in last weekend's clash with West Bromwich successfully overturned during the week.

Meanwhile, Vince Grella was forced to watch Blackburn from the sidelines with the midfielder still suffering from a hip injury. Rovers had led 3-1 at one stage against Norwich but conceded a last minute penalty to draw 3-3 at Carrow Road.

In the Championship, a handful of Aussies were in action. The clash between two Socceroos failed to see any goals as Crystal Palace were held to a goalless draw at Selhurst Park by a resurgent Reading outfit. Mile Jedinak put in a full shift for Palace while Adam Federici continued in goal for Reading. The result sees Palace move above Middlesborough into third.

Southampton maintained their 100 per cent home record and proved far too strong for Middlesborough in a 3-0 at St.Mary’s. Socceroo defender Rhys Williams completed a full 90 minutes while fellow countryman Scott McDonald was withdrawn just after the hour mark. 

Socceroo midfielder Neil Kilkenny and his Bristol City teammates tasted success under Derek McInnes for the first time thanks to an injury-time winner from striker Nicky Maynard. The stoppage-time goal from Maynard gave City a 2-1 win over Barnsley and moved the strugglers within four points of safety. Neil Kilkenny played the entire match for the bottom-place club.

Former Socceroo midfielder Marco Bresciano made his debut for Al Nasr in their 1-0 defeat at the hands of Al Wahda. Bresciano put in a full shift and received a 22nd minute yellow card in the loss at Rashid Al-Maktoum Stadium. The result sends Al Nasr to the foot of the table without a win in the opening three rounds.

Socceroo captain Lucas Neill and his Al Jazira side moved to the top of the table following their 3-1 win at home to lowly Bani Yas. Neill completed another full 90 minutes for Al Jazira.

Over in the J-League Cup final, Matthew Spiranovic did not make it off the bench as the Urawa Red Diamonds suffered a 1-0 loss to the Kashima Antlers thanks to a goal in extra-time. Both sides played with 10-men but it was Kashima who prevailed after extra-time courtesy of a 105th minute goal from 21 year old Yuya Osako.
 
In the Scottish Premier League, Matt McKay was an unused substitute in Rangers 2-1 win over Aberdeen at Pittodrie Stadium.

Aussie Ryan McGowan did not feature in the Hearts side that suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Kilmarnock.

Socceroo midfielder Carl Valeri completed a full 90 minutes in Sassuolo’s 1-0 victory over his former club Grosseto. The win moves them into third and extends their unbeaten run to five games in Italy’s Serie B.

Former Socceroo Scott Chipperfield was a 61st minute substitute as FC Basel’s played host to Grasshoppers in a comfortable 4-1 at St.Jakob Park in Switzerland's Super League. Basel has now won three on the trot and sits a point clear at the summit with Luzern yet to play this weekend.

David Carney was not in the Alcorcon side that defeated Guadalajara 1-0 at the Estadio Santo Domingo.

In the Czech Liga, Kerem Bulut did not feature in Mlada Boleslav’s 3-0 triumph away to league leader, Sparta Praha. The win moves Kerem Bulut’s side into fourth and within eight points of top spot.

In League One, Alex Cisak and James Wesolowski’s Oldham Athletic threw away a three-goal lead to draw 3-3 away to Carlisle United. Paul Dickov’s men were up three goals up inside the opening 38 minutes before Carlisle began their fight back. Wesolowski was withdrawn seven minutes into the second half after suffering an injury while Cisak played the entire match in goal.

Elsewhere in League One, Aaron Downes played the full 90 minutes in Chesterfield’s 2-1 defeat away to Brentford. A debut goal from Dale Bennet proved the difference between the two sides.

In League Two, Shane Cansdell-Sherriff received a yellow card in Shrewsbury Towns goalless draw against AFC Wimbledon in front of 5,861 fans at the Greenhous Meadow.