Bayern profit amid dropped points

A combination of results elsewhere in Germany and Lukas Podolski's equaliser in a 1-1draw at 1. FC Nürnberg kept FC Bayern München on course for the Bundesliga title.

Favourable scorelines
A share of the spoils against struggling Nürnberg might not have been the ideal outcome but it was enough for the leaders because none of their potential pursuers won. Second and third-placed Hamburger SV and FC Schalke 04 both drew while there were home defeats for Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Werder Bremen. So Bayern maintained their seven-point advantage thanks to substitute Podolski's 81st-minute equaliser against Nürnberg. The home team had led in the Franconia-Bavaria derby through Zvjezdan Misimović's 44th-minute strike.

Points aplenty dropped
Hamburg, meanwhile, slipped up against a DSC Arminia Bielefeld side who sit two points above Nürnberg in the third and final relegation place. HSV also needed a late leveller, from Paolo Guerrero on 82 minutes, to cancel out a Markus Bollmann opener ten minute before. Schalke, with three successive victories before today, had to settle for a point at Karlsruher SC. Which was more than Leverkusen and Bremen managed between them. Leverkusen lost 2-0 against Eintracht Frankfurt who climbed into the top six courtesy of strikes from Stefan Kiessling and Evangelos Mantzios; the Weserstadion witnessed a 2-1 success for MSV Duisburg which lifted the victors out of the drop zone. Diego scored for Bremen after Duisburg had the cushion of a half-time lead earned by Ivica Grlic and Manasseh Ishiaku.

Six-goal thriller
Elsewhere in the Bundesliga, VfL Wolfsburg won 1-0 at FC Hansa Rostock on Friday, before Saturday's mid-table collision between VfL Bochum 1848 and BV Borussia Dortmund finished in a 3-3 draw. Stuttgart, who had started the weekend in sixth position, visit Hannover 96 on Sunday when bottom club FC Energie Cottbus host Hertha BSC Berlin.

Energie Cottbus beat Bayern

FC Energie Cottbus caused the sensation of the German season when they became only the second team to defeat FC Bayern München in the Bundesliga this term, Serbian striker Branko Jelić scoring twice without reply at the Stadion der Freundschaft.

Missed penalty
Energie started the day at the foot of the table, 33 points adrift of a Bayern team seemingly steamrollering their way to the title, but ripped up the form book to climb three places and out of the drop zone. Jelić, 30, opened the scoring after 18 minutes, although it looked like being business as usual when Bayern were awarded a penalty on 29. Gerhard Tremmel saved Franck Ribéry's spot-kick, however, and Jelić doubled the lead soon after to seal the victory for Energie who move on to 20 points from 24 outings.

Duisburg bottom
MSV Duisburg are now propping up the rest on 18 points following last night's 2-1 defeat at FC Schalke 04, level with 1. FC Nürnberg who meet fourth-placed Bayer 04 Leverkusen on Sunday. Like Energie, DSC Arminia Bielefeld have 20 points after drawing 2-2 at Hannover 96 today, while FC Hansa Rostock, on 24, remain in the scrap in the wake of their scoreless home draw against Hertha BSC Berlin.

Hamburg close
At the top of the table, Bayern's lead was cut to five points as Hamburger SV beat BV Borussia Dortmund thanks to José Paolo Guerrero's 63rd-minute winner. Werder Bremen can erode that advantage further by beating VfL Wolfsburg at home on Sunday. In the fight for UEFA Cup qualification, the sixth-placed champions VfB Stuttgart drew 1-1 at VfL Bochum 1848 to move on to 38 points, a place and two points clear of Eintracht Frankfurt for whom Michael Fink scored the only goal in the win at Karlsruher SC.

Bundesliga - Round-up: Bayern end Gelsenkirchen curse

Bayern Munich ended their Gelsenkirchen curse with a 1-0 win at Schalke 04 while Werder Bremen kept up the chase with a 2-0 victory at home to Borussia Dortmund.

Bayern were outstanding for the first hour against Schalke, regularly carving through the home defence and hardly giving their opponents so much as a sight of goal.

The goal began with a great piece of work from Bastian Schweinsteiger, who found Franck Ribery running into the penalty area with a clever pass inside.

The French playmaker took the ball on and crossed to the near post, where Klose, arriving late, surprised the Schalke defence to score with what looked to be his hip.

Klose headed against the bar in the 38th minute and early in the second half Ribery again strolled through the defence only to land a chip over the keeper and just wide.

Luca Toni brought a sharp save with a header in the 60th minute and, following up, Daniel van Buyten managed to head against the bar from two metres.

Bayern almost had cause to regret their generosity as Schalke missed two good chances to equalise when Marcelo Bordon headed over from a perfect position and Rafinha shot straight at Oliver Kahn from close range.

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HANOVER 2-1 NUREMBERG

Arnold Bruggink scored with a left-foot shot that whistled under the bar from the edge of the area to set Hanover on their way to a first league win since December 8.

Nuremberg equalised through Zvjezdan Misimovic in the 52nd minute before Hanover clinched the points with a goal from Szabolcs Huszti with 25 minutes to go.

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HANSA ROSTOCK 1-1 ARMINIA BIELEFELD

Bielefeld are still looking for their first win of 2008 after a match that started and ended badly for them.

The visitors should have taken the lead in the 17th minute only for Artur Wichniarek to hit a weak penalty that was easily saved.

Bielefeld continued pressing and took a deserved lead through Christian Eigler in the 84th minute only for Fin Bartels to equalise with a right-foot shot two minutes later.

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KARLSRUHE 3-1 WOLFSBURG

Karlsruhe stepped up their bid for a European place with victory over Wolfsburg.

Mario Eggimann tapped the ball in from two yards to put them ahead in the 22nd minute.

Marcel Schaefer supplied a calm finish from 10 metres to equalise for Wolfsburg before Aleksandr Iashvili set up Josh Kennedy to make it 2-1 in the 73rd minute.

Georgian international Iashvili then added a third in injury time.

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WERDER BREMEN 2-0 BORUSSIA DORTMUND

Werder started slowly but made the most of a bit of luck to claim a win that keeps them in the title race.

Markus Rosenberg looked well offside in the 45th minute when he received a pass from Aaron Hunt but his stylish turn and back-heeled finish was allowed to stand.

Rosenberg then squeezed a shot just inside the post for the second in the 63rd.

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Postponed: Energie Cottbus v VfB Stuttgart

Bayern hold Bremen to maintain lead

FC Bayern München preserved their three-point lead over Werder Bremen after coming from behind to draw 1-1 against their second-placed rivals while FC Schalke 04 gained ground courtesy of a 3-2 Ruhr derby victory against BV Borussia Dortmund.

All square
With Werder slipping up last week against VfL Bochum 1848, the UEFA Cup contenders knew three points would draw them level with Bayern once more. And they got off to the perfect start at the Fußball Arena München when Diego struck after just six minutes.

Spot-kick save
Bayern squandered the chance to draw level shortly after when Luca Toni's penalty kick was saved by Tim Wiese, who was one of nine players cautioned in a feisty contest. But Ottmar Hitzfeld's charges deservedly equalised just after the half-hour mark when Zé Roberto grabbed his third Bundesliga goal of the season.

Ernst winner
Elsewhere, Schalke left it late to overcome local rivals Dortmund as Fabian Ernst scored an 82-minute winner. Gerald Asamoah put the UEFA Champions League hopefuls ahead 19 minutes into the first half, but the hosts were back on level terms within two minutes when Giovanni Federico equalised. However, Schalke hit back ten minutes later when Martin Amedick scored an own goal, but Dortmund once more responded through Mladen Petrić who scored five minutes after the break. Ernst’s winner lifts Schalke into third, five points behind Bayern.


Neither Bayer 04 Leverkusen or Hamburger SV could make up significant ground on the top two in the Bundesliga after sharing the points at the BayArena but champions VfB Stuttgart lost again.

All square
With FC Bayern München and Werder Bremen meeting tomorrow, victory for either Leverkusen or Hamburg would have given them renewed title hope. Rafael van der Vaart's tenth league goal of the season on 28 minutes put the visitors ahead, but Manuel Friedrich levelled on the hour.

Late goal
Jan Rosenthal's goal three minutes from time saved Hannover from defeat at home to Karlsruhe. Hanno Balitsch's strike a minute before the interval had put the hosts in front but two goals in three second-half minutes from Joshua Kennedy and Tamas Hajnal looked like earning Karlsruhe the points until Rosenthal's intervention.

Stuttgart woe
Stuttgart's disappointing season shows no sign of abating after a 3-1 home reverse at the hands of Hertha BSC Berlin. The hosts fell behind early on when Marko Pantelić struck but Stuttgart levelled on 40 minutes through Mario Gómez. This provided false hope though as Pantelić scored again and Rafael added a further goal in the second half.

Wolfsburg mobile
Elsewhere VfL Wolfsburg are up to ninth after a 2-1 win against strugglers MSV Duisburg. Claudiu Niculescu (26) gave the visitors the lead but Marcel Schäfer ten minutes later and Grafite nine minutes after the break turned the game round for Wolfsburg.

Energie comeback
FC Energie Cottbus came from two goals down to rescue a point at VfL Bochum 1848. Bochum were two goals up through Kristijan Ipsa's own goal and Stanislav Sesták's strike but Energie responded through Michal Papadopulos before the break. Benjamin Auer (68) then restored the two-goal advantage but Ervin Skela a minute later and Branko Jelić (79) earned Energie a point. In day's other fixture 1. FC Nürnberg and FC Hansa Rostock drew 1-1.

Bayern still on Top

Hamburger SV missed the chance to close on second-placed Werder Bremen after being held by Hannover 96 and slipped to fourth after a Simon Rolfes inspired Bayer 04 Leverkusen edged out FC Energie Cottbus.

All-square
With Werder, who are three points behind FC Bayern München after the Bavarian club's 2-1 success at FC Hansa Rostock last night, not playing until tomorrow, Hamburg could have moved to within a point of second. However Szabolcs Huszti's 40th minute penalty gave Hannover a half-time lead and looked liked proving decisive until Ivica Olić (70) replied for the UEFA Cup hopefuls.

Late victory
Leverkusen meanwhile, are now ahead of Hamburg on goal difference after a late victory at Energie. Michal Papadopulos' first-half effort put the home side in front, but Rolfes just before the hour mark and Dmitri Bulykin turned the game in Leverkusen's favour. Energie then levelled through Christian Bassila 13 minutes from time, but Rolfes' second of the match gave Leverkusen the points.

Squandered lead
It looked being a profitable afternoon for MSV Duisburg, who threw away a two goal lead at home against BV Borussia Dortmund. The hosts were two goals to the good inside half-an-hour through Iulian Filipescu and Tobias Willi. Sebastian Kehl then reduced the arrears on 50 minutes but Mihai Tararache's penalty kick eight minutes later restored Duisburg's two goal cushion. However two Diego Klimowicz strikes (68 & 90) rescued a point for Dortmund, who remain in mid-table, while Duisburg stay bottom.

Fenin joy
Fellow strugglers 1. FC Nürnberg were beaten 2-0 at Karlsruher SC, two goals in seven second-half minutes from Christian Eichner and Joshua Kennedy earning Karlsruhe the points. In the afternoon's other fixtures, Martin Fenin's hat-trick gave Eintracht Frankfurt a 3-0 success at Hertha BSC Berlin, while VfL Wolfsburg triumphed 1-0 away at DSC Arminia Bielefeld.

FC Bayern München midfielder Franck Ribéry is a doubt for France's friendly against Spain on Wednesday due to a hamstring injury sustained in last night's 2-1 Bundesliga win against FC Hansa Rostock.

Hamstring pain
"I felt some hamstring pain during the first half," said the 24-year-old who was withdrawn at half-time after scoring the opener in the victory which took Bayern three points clear of Werder Bremen at the Bundesliga summit. Ribéry, who has been capped 24 times by France, may now miss the match in Malaga against fellow UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifiers Spain. He may also be in danger of sitting out Bayern's UEFA Cup Round of 32 first leg encounter against Aberdeen FC on 14 February.

Bremen join Bayern at Bundesliga summit

Werder Bremen joined FC Bayern München at the top of the Bundesliga at the halfway stage of the season after a 5-2 defeat of Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Bayern's 0-0 draw at Hertha BSC Berlin.

Klasnić double
Werder fell behind early on to a seventh-minute Tranquillo Barnetta opener but goals from Ivan Klasnić (30, 63), Diego (50), Clemens Fritz (58) and Markus Rosenberg (69) helped Thomas Schaaf's side make up for their UEFA Champions League exit in midweek. Although Stefan Kiessling grabbed a late consolation for the hosts, Bayern's goalless draw in Berlin ensured Werder a share of top spot over the winter break with 36 points from 17 matches.

Hamburger held
Hamburger SV failed to take advantage of Bayern's latest setback as they had to scrap for a 1-1 draw at Karlsruher SC, which left them four points behind the leaders in third place. Croatian international Ivica Olić struck in the last minute to cancel out Christian Timm's 46th-minute effort.

Dortmund humbled
Elsewhere, VfL Wolfsburg humbled BV Borussia Dortmund 4-0 thanks to goals by Marcel Schäfer (8), Ricardo Costa (11), Christian Gentner (59) and Edin Dzeko (78), champions VfB Stuttgart lost 2-0 at DSC Arminia Bielefeld while Gerard Asamoah's opener (14) and a Marco Engelhardt own goal (35) helped FC Schalke 04 move up to fifth place with a 2-1 success against 1. FC Nürnberg.

Leverkusen make it five in a row

Bayer 04 Leverkusen won their fifth Bundesliga match in succession 3-0 at home to FC Hansa Rostock on Sunday while 1. FC Nürnberg eased their relegation worries with a 2-1 win at home to Hertha BSC Berlin.

Rolfes opener
Michael Skibbe's Leverkusen qualified for the UEFA Cup Round of 32 on Thursday with victory at home to AC Sparta Praha and supporters at the BayArena had more to celebrate today. Simon Rolfes put the home side ahead on four minutes before Paul Freier doubled the advantage from the penalty spot eight minutes after the restart. Theofanis Gekas completed the scoring 17 minutes from time. It was Leverkusen's fifth league win in a row, outscoring their opponents 16-2 in the process.

Charisteas scores
The victory lifts them to within a point of third-placed Hamburger SV, while defeat sees Rostock drop back into the relegation places with Nürnberg climbing above them after winning their fourth league game this season. At home to Hertha, Angelos Charisteas put Nürnberg ahead on five minutes then Zvjezdan Misimović added the second six minutes before half-time. Fabian Lustenberger pulled a goal back midway through the second half but Nürnberg were able to hold on for an important victory as Hertha fell to their third straight defeat.

Bayern held as Bremen fall

FC Bayern München extended their lead at the top of the Bundesliga despite failing to beat struggling MSV Duisburg at home as second-placed Werder Bremen lost a thriller at Hannover 96.

Hanke hat-trick
While there were no goals at the Fußball Arena München, Hannover striker Mike Hanke scored three of the seven to hit the net at the AWD-Arena. Bremen took the lead through Markus Rosenberg after ten minutes but were 3-1 down eleven minutes later as Hanke struck either side of a Frank Baumann own goal. A Diego penalty reduced arrears before half-time and when Rosenberg struck again (54) Bremen looked in pole position to go on and earn maximum points. The spoils went to Hannover, though, as Hanke completed his treble in the 77th minute.

Stuttgart win
Bayern stay at the summit with 35 points from 16 games despite failing to break down the club occupying 17th spot in the Bundesliga, while Bremen are now two points adrift of the leaders. Hamburger SV, on 31 points, also dropped points as they were held to a scoreless draw by the bottom club FC Energie Cottbus, as did fifth-placed Karlsruher SC as they drew 2-2 at VfL Bochum 1848. FC Schalke 04 needed an 89th-minute leveller from defender Heiko Westermann, his second of the game, to draw at Eintracht Frankfurt and stay a point adrift of Karlsruhe, while champions VfB Stuttgart beat VfL Wolfsburg 3-1 to continue their revival.

Bremen hit the heights in Germany

A 2-1 win against Hamburger SV sent Werder Bremen to the top of the Bundesliga table while a 3-0 away win lifted Bayer 04 Leverkusen up to fourth place.

Bremen triumph
Having won 3-2 against Real Madrid CF in the UEFA Champions League in midweek, Bremen took the lead after 15 minutes through former Hamburg striker Boubacar Sanogo, who beat Frank Rost with a crisp shot from Jurica Vranjes' cross. Hamburg levelled after 61 minutes as Rafael van der Vaart lobbed an attempted Christian Vander clearance back over the Bremen goalkeeper, but Rost was beaten again three minutes later as a Petri Pasanen cross was deflected past him by defender Vincent Kompany. Bremen now top the table with 33 points but will go second if FC Bayern München beat DSC Arminia Bielefeld on Sunday.

Leverkusen triumph
Elsewhere, goals from Carsten Ramelow, Tranquillo Barnetta and Sergej Barbarez saw Leverkusen earn a 3-0 win at Hertha BSC Berlin, while champions VfB Stuttgart lost 2-1 at home against BV Borussia Dortmund. Nelson Valdez gave Dortmund the lead, and while Fernando Meira struck back before the interval, Mladen Petrić grabbed the winner with 12 minutes to go. A Marcelo Bordon goal saw FC Schalke 04 beat VfL Bochum 1848 1-0, struggling FC Energie Cottbus won 2-0 against Karlsruher SC while VfL Wolfsburg were held to a 2-2 draw by Eintracht Frankfurt.

Three late goals in a four-minute spell saw Hannover 96 break FC Hansa Rostock's resistance in Friday's game in the Bundesliga and move up to sixth place.

Quick treble
Frank Fahrenhorst broke the deadlock in the 83rd minute with his first goal of the season, heading home after Szabolcs Huszti's free kick was deflected off the Rostock wall. Germany striker Mike Hanke tapped in two minutes later after goalkeeper Stefan Wächter failed to hold on to a long-range effort from Gaetan Krebs and Jiří Štajner made it 3-0 a minute later when he knocked in a cross from Iran's Vahid Hashemian. Defeat leaves Rostock just above the relegation zone in 15th place.

Hamburg put pressure on leaders

Hamburger SV closed to within a point of Bundesliga leaders FC Bayern München by beating a FC Hansa Rostock side that slipped closer towards the relegation zone after 1. FC Nürnberg picked up a valuable victory.

Fine run
Hamburg continued a fine run that has seen them go unbeaten in all competitions after a reverse on 15 September against Eintracht Frankfurt, winning eleven out of their 13 games played since. The latest of those came against Hansa where it took the home side 19 minutes to break the deadlock as Dutchman Rafael van der Vaart found the net. Victory was assured for Hamburg, who face Stade Rennais FC on Thursday in the UEFA Cup, when Ivica Olić added a second just after the hour. Despite the win they remain third, behind Werder Bremen on goal difference.

Important win
Fellow UEFA Cup contenders Nürnberg, who will attempt to revive their European hopes against FC Zenit St. Petersburg next week, got only their third win of the season at home against BV Borussia Dortmund. Moving to within three points of their opponents – and two of Hansa – in the league standings. Nürnberg's goals came after ten minutes from Tomáš Galásek and in added time from Angelos Charisteas. Dortmund sit 13th following the reverse.

Bayern stay on top as big guns fire

The former FC Bayern München coach Felix Magath left Bavaria without a point on Saturday as his VfL Wolfsburg side were beaten 2-1 by the Bundesliga leaders.

Influential Ribéry
Franck Ribéry created the opener for Miroslav Klose in the 35th minute, the Germany striker making no mistake from a neat pass, before the Frenchman combined with Hamit Altıntop to double the advantage five minutes after half-time. Bayern had endured a tough week off the pitch, and they were almost made to suffer on it after Ashkan Dejagah reduced arrears for the visitors on 72 minutes. Still, Ottmar Hitzfeld was relieved to see his charges hold on to move on to 31 points, one more than Werder Bremen following their 2-0 win at the bottom club FC Energie Cottbus.

Champions in form
Diego opened the scoring for Bremen from the penalty spot after 63 minutes, although the visitors were made to fight for three points before Mosquera wrapped them up with an 83rd-minute strike. In addition to Bremen, VfB Stuttgart and FC Schalke 04 warmed-up for their return to UEFA Champions League action this week by recording away wins. The champions won 4-1 at Eintracht Frankfurt to make it four Bundesliga victories in succession, while Kevin Kuranyi returned from injury to score twice in Schalke's 3-2 win at Hannover 96.

No draws
On a day of no draws in the German top flight, Bayer 04 Leverkusen were the biggest winners as they beat MSV Duisburg 4-1 to close to within two points of fourth-placed Karlsruher SC, 2-1 winners against Hertha BSC Berlin on Friday. VfL Bochum 1848 also enjoyed a three-goal winning margin, Marcin Mieciel (2) and Christoph Dabrowski finding the net without reply against DSC Arminia Bielefeld. Hamburger SV meet FC Hansa Rostock and 1. FC Nürnberg tackle BV Borussia Dortmund on Sunday.

Bundesliga Week 13

Bayer 04 Leverkusen claimed three points at VfL Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga to move up to fifth place in the standings on a day when DSC Arminia Bielefeld continued 1. FC Nürnberg's disappointing start to the season.

Leverkusen fifth
Leverkusen bounced back from their 2-1 defeat against FC Spartak Moskva in the UEFA Cup on Thursday to claim league three points away against Wolfsburg. Paul Freier gave the visitors the lead eight minutes before half-time and seven minutes after the break they doubled their advantage as Stefan Kiessling scored his eighth goal of the season. Wolfsburg did set up an exciting finish after Manuel Friedrich turned the ball into his own net, but they could not muster an equaliser as Leverkusen claimed only their second Bundesliga win in six games.

Nürnberg woe
Meanwhile, Nürnberg remain in the bottom three after failing to prevent their eighth league reverse of the campaign. Hans Meyer's German Cup holders, who were beaten 2-0 in the UEFA Cup by Everton FC this week, have endured a miserable season to date and it is showing no sign of improvement following their visit to Arminia. Nürnberg did find themselves in front when Andreas Wolf struck two minutes before half-time but second-half efforts by Rüdiger Kauf (64), Artur Wichniarek (76) and Sibusiso Zuma (90) gave Arminia three points to lift them up a place to 14th.

Mario Gómez scored twice as VfB Stuttgart inflicted a first defeat of the season upon FC Bayern München, their 3-1 win enabling Werder Bremen to move to within a point of the leaders after hitting four goals against Karlsruher SC.

Bayern defeat
Bayern were hoping to end a run of three consecutive draws against the German champions, who lost 4-2 against FC Olympique Lyonnais in the UEFA Champions League in midweek, but Ottmar Hitzfeld's side were unable to build on their Bundesliga lead after conceding three goals in the first 42 minutes.

Gómez goals
Gómez put the hosts ahead on ten minutes, Yıldıray Baştürk made it 2-0 on the half-hour mark, and, as he did against Lyon on Wednesday, Gómez doubled his tally three minutes before half-time for his eleventh goal of the campaign. Although Luca Toni scored late on for the visitors, Bayern's miserable afternoon was epitomised by Lucio's 70th-minute dismissal and Stuttgart held on for their third consecutive win.

Bremen boost
Hamburger SV were unable to take full advantage of Bayern's defeat as they were held at FC Schalke 04, who took the lead 12 minutes in through defender Mladen Krstajić. Croatia striker Ivica Olić hit back for the visitors ten minutes before the break but they were unable to build on their foothold and had to settle for the point.

Diego double
Hamburg's draw was Bremen’s gain as Thomas Schaaf's side edged into second place on goal difference after a comprehensive 4-0 win against Karlsruhe. Bremen cast aside the memories of their midweek UEFA Champions League loss at S.S. Lazio as Diego (25, 45) struck twice. Hugo Almeida made it 3-0 midway through the second period and Naldo completed the rout (76) to move his side within a point of Bayern.

Kern treble
Elsewhere, Hertha BSC Berlin moved into seventh place after Brazilian striker André Lima gave them a 1-0 success against fifth-placed Hannover SC, an Enrico Kern hat-rick earned FC Hansa Rostock a 3-2 win against bottom-placed FC Energie Cottbus, while BV Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt shared a 1-1 draw.

Bundesliga Week 12

Hamburg took advantage of FC Bayern München's goalless home draw against Eintracht Frankfurt to move to within two points of the leaders after beating Hertha BSC Berlin 2-1.

Great start
Hamburg made a great start in front of 52,000 fans as Paolo Guerrero struck after just four minutes. Although Patrick Ebert drew the capital club level just short of the hour mark, Bastian Reinhardt had the final say for Huub Stevens's side when he scored the decisive goal in the 80th minute. HSV have 26 points from 12 games, while Bayern remain unbeaten at the summit but with a lead of just two points after failing to break down Eintracht in Munich.

Stuttgart mark
Stuttgart's renaissance continued as they made it three wins from as many games - and first away from home this season - by defeating 1. FC Nürnberg. Hans Meyer's team beat the champions home and away in the Bundesliga last term and in the German Cup final but had no reply to Mario Gómez's goal after 25 minutes. A solitary goal was also enough for Werder Bremen toom, as Hugo Almeida's 39th-minute goal against FC Hansa Rostock kept them in third spot.

Hannover climb
Hannover 96 are up to fourth, leapfrogging FC Schalke 04 (beaten by FC Energie Cottbus on Friday) and Karlsruher SC (home to MSV Duisburgon Sunday), after defeating BV Borussia Dortmund 2-1, while Bayer 04 Leverkusen were the big winners of the day as Sergej Barbarez and Theofanis Gekas both scored twice without reply at home to DSC Arminia Bielefeld.

FC Schalke 04's challenge for the Bundesliga title was dealt a further blow on Friday night as they became the first team this season to lose in the league to the bottom club FC Energie Cottbus.

Bassila winner
French defender Christian Bassila scored the only goal of the game a minute into the second half to hand Schalke a defeat that leaves the fifth-placed side nine points adrift of leaders FC Bayern München in the standings, a deficit which could rise to 12 this weekend. Energie might have led in the first period when Dennis Sørensen clipped the top of the bar, but after Marcelo Bordon did likewise for Schalke just before the break they took the lead when Bassila made the most of a mix-up in the visitors' defence just after the restart.

Missed chances
Schalke, who face Chelsea FC in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, put pressure on Energie in search of an equaliser. Twice midfielder Jermaine Jones went close - directing a close-range header wide on the hour before hitting a volley against the underside of the bar seven minutes later. Substitute Søren Larsen also missed a good chance when scooping a shot over on 77 minutes, but Energie held on for a win that moved them to within a point of 1. FC Nürnberg, VfL Bochum 1848 and MSV Duisburg.

Bundesliga Week 11

Hamburger SV took advantage of FC Bayern München's goalless draw with BV Borussia Dortmund, moving within four points of the Bundesliga leaders after a 1-0 win at MSV Duisburg on Sunday.

Sell-out crowd
Over 80,000 spectators turned out in Dortmund to watch the visitors miss out on the chance to move six points clear at the top. The sell-out crowd saw no goals but witnessed plenty of commitment in an absorbing first half during which Bayern twice hit the bar, first from Martin Demichelis's thunderous long-range shot and then Miroslav Klose's follow-up. Dortmund raised their game after the break and squandered a number of presentable opportunities, enabling Bayern to return home the more thankful for the point.

Kompany winner
Bayern's shortcomings were exploited by second-placed Hamburg, who sealed an efficient win at Duisburg. Still without injured captain Rafael van der Vaart, the UEFA Cup contenders dominated the match without creating too many chances. Nonetheless, Vincent Kompany's close-range effort on 37 minutes proved enough to reduce the arrears on Bayern.

Nothing could separate UEFA Champions League contenders FC Schalke 04 and Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga on Saturday but Hertha BSC Berlin and VfB Stuttgart celebrated welcome wins.

Bremen held
Bremen had been hoping for their first win at the Arena AufSchalke in six years as victory would have taken them to within three points of leaders FC Bayern München, who play on Sunday, but it looked like the Bundesliga's second-placed club might suffer their first defeat in six league matches when Carlos Grossmüller put Schalke ahead after 14 minutes. Brazilian defender Naldo replied for the visitors, though, to share the spoils.

Pantelić strike
Hertha scored twice before the break to secure three points at home against VfL Bochum 1848 thanks to an own goal by Marcel Maltritz and Marko Pantelić's sixth league goal of the season. Like the club from the German capital, VfL Wolfsburg leapfrogged Bayer 04 Leverkusen as a consequence of a convincing 3-1 win against 1. FC Nürnberg. The hosts took a two-goal lead by the 34th minute through Greece striker Angelos Charisteas and Grafite and, although Bosnia-Herzegovnia midfielder Zvjezdan Misimović reduced the arrears for Nürnberg after the break, Ashtan Dejagah ensured Wolfsburg moved into seventh place.

Leverkusen slip
Leverkusen slipped to tenth after Andreas Beck's winner gave Stuttgart their first league success in four matches while, elsewhere, Karlsruher SC dropped to fourth after suffering their second consecutive goalless draw at FC Hansa Rostock. In the other Saturday match a last-minute strike by Denmark forward Dennis Sørensen earned bottom-placed FC Energie Cottbus a 1-1 draw at DSC Arminia Bielefeld, who had edged ahead on 78 minutes through Jonas Kamper.