German BundesLiga 2009/2010

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Brief reports of Bundesliga matches played this weekend:

Played Sunday:

MSV DUISBURG 1 HERTHA BERLIN 2

Marko Pantelic got both goals to take Hertha up to fifth place with their third victory of the season.

Pantelic surprised the keeper with a shot that flew into the roof of the net from 25 metres in the 61st minute.

The Serb striker got his second nine minutes later and Hertha survived a spirited fightback from Duisburg, who got one goal back through a Klemen Lavric header in the 78th minute. - - - -

VfL WOLFSBURG 1 KARLSRUHE 2 Promoted Karlsruhe are up to sixth after coming from behind to beat strugglers Wolfsburg.

The home side started well and took a deserved lead in the 21st minute through Polish international Jacek Krzynowek after he was set up by Marcelinho.

Karlsruhe were back on level terms when Mario Eggimann timed his run perfectly to head in from Tamas Hajinal's free kick and Christian Eichner got the visitors all three points with another far post header, this time from a Sebastian Freis cross. - - - -

Played Saturday:

NUREMBERG 2 HANOVER 96 2

Nuremberg staged a second-half comeback to grab their first home point of the season.

Two headed goals from Mike Hanke after 12 and 39 minutes put Hanover in charge.

Zvjezdan Misimovic gave Nuremberg a lifeline when he scored following a corner and a red card for Christian Schulz seven minutes from time gave them renewed hope. Sure enough, Marek Mintal popped up with a minute to go to give them a draw. - - - -

ARMINIA BIELEFELD 4 HANSA ROSTOCK 2

Bielefeld were always in control and ended up clinching a comfortable win to take second place, a point behind leaders Bayern.

The home side went ahead when Victor Agali headed a Joerg Boehme free kick past his own goalkeeper in the 31st minute.

Rostock equalised with a brilliant overhead kick from Enrico Kern at the start of the second half but three goals in nine minutes put Bielefeld clear.

Christian Eigler got the first of them in the 50th minute when he capitalised on a bad defensive error. Eigler added another five minutes later after being played onside by more slack defending and Artur Wichniarek soon made the game safe.

Kai Buelow got one back with a flick-header a few minutes later but a Rostock comeback was never on the cards. - - - -

BAYER LEVERKUSEN 2 VfL BOCHUM 0

Leverkusen took advantage of a red card for Marc Pfertzel early in the second half to claim victory from a tight game.

Pfertzel saw red in the 54th minute when a late tackle brought him a second booking and Karim Haggui put the home side ahead eight minutes later with a header from Bernd Schneider's free kick.

Manuel Friedrich doubled the lead two minutes from time when he stretched out a leg to meet a corner cross. - - - -

BAYERN MUNICH 1 SCHALKE 04 1

Bayern missed early chances and ended up grateful for a point from a bruising game against their big title rivals.

Schalke took the lead against the run of play when Ivan Rakitic swept in low from 25 metres with a shot that surprised Oliver Kahn.

Miroslav Klose headed in the Bayern equaliser from close range nine minutes after the break after Manuel Neuer had done well to palm away Luca Toni's original effort. - - - -

EINTRACHT FRANKFURT 2 HAMBURG SV 1

Alex Meier struck twice to take Frankfurt to within a point of leaders Bayern Munich.

Meier got his first in the eighth minute, turning in a Markus Weissenberger cross left-footed from 12 metres.

Hamburg fought hard and equalised with a Rafael van der Vaart penalty in the 82nd minute, given for a tug on Bastian Reinhardt.

Frankfurt did not have to settle for a point, though, as Meier put them back in front when he struck with a volley that trickled past the keeper with three minutes to go. - - - -

VfB STUTTGART 3 ENERGIE COTTBUS 0

Stuttgart struck three times in the second half to clinch only their second victory of the season.

Cacau made the breakthrough in the 53rd minute, heading in from Sami Khedira's whipped cross, and fellow Brazilian Ewerthon walked in the second with 12 minutes to go.

Mario Gomez wrapped things up when he headed in at the far post for his second goal in three games this season with seven minutes to go. - - - -

Played Friday:

BORUSSIA DORTMUND 3 WERDER BREMEN 0

Dortmund scored three times in 10 first-half minutes to seal an easy win and give Werder coach Thomas Schaaf a lot to think about ahead of Tuesday's Champions League clash with Real Madrid.

Mladen Petric fired in at the far post to open the scoring in the 22nd minute, Diego Klimowicz beat the offside trap to make it 2-0 seven minutes later before Petric grabbed his second soon after to stun the visitors.

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Brief news from the Bundesliga before this weekend's matches:

* Champions VfB Stuttgart may be without Mario Gomez for Saturday's match at Werder Bremen. The striker, who scored in Wednesday's 2-1 Champions League defeat at Rangers, has a thigh problem.

Injured midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger is definitely out again but Yildiray Basturk could make a first start after a long injury layoff.

Stuttgart Coach Armin Veh said the club should not be ashamed of Wednesday's defeat: "I saw some positive performances and we can travel to Bremen full of confidence."

* Bremen have failed to win five of their last six homes matches against Stuttgart and have 10 players out injured.

"I would prefer to be able to talk about sporting issues again and finish this basic medical training course," coach Thomas Schaaf said.

* Last year's runners-up Schalke 04 need to get back to winning ways against second-placed Arminia Bielefeld on Saturday after they drew four of their first five matches, Schalke Manager Andreas Mueller said.

"These draws don't help," he added. "Three points is an absolute must." Midfielder Levan Kobiashvili and defender Christian Pander are both doubtful.

* Bayern Munich coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said Sunday's match at Karlsruhe SC will be a real test for the Bundesliga leaders.

Striker Miroslav Klose returns to partner Luca Toni in attack after the German international was suspended for Thursday's 1-0 victory over Belenenses in the UEFA Cup.

Bayern goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, who was born in Karlsruhe and played there from 1987 to 1994, said he was looking forward to going home.

"I'll have to be careful that I don't forget to concentrate on the match because of the emotion of being home," he said.

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Bayern Munich won 4-1 at Karlsruhe SC to open a two-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga on Sunday.


Luca Toni opened the scoring for the Bavarians in the fifth minute, the Italian latching on to Mark van Bommel's pass and cleverly lifting the ball over advancing goalkeeper Markus Miller.

Bundesliga top scorer Miroslav Klose made it 2-0 15 minutes later with his fifth of the season. Hamit Altintop tested Miller from just outside the box and the Germany striker poked the loose ball home from close range.

Altintop extended Bayern's lead early in the second half with a powerful drive but Karlsruhe hit back when Massimilian Porcello drove the ball through a crowd of players to beat Oliver Kahn low to his right.

Bayern's Ze Roberto completed the scoring in the 75th minute with a low drive after Klose's fine through ball.

Bayern coach Ottmar Hitzfeld had glowing praise for Toni and Klose, both new arrivals at the club this season.

"Those are two top-quality strikers," Hitzfeld said. "Toni is a phenomenon. The way he controlled the ball and lifted it over the keeper was really top class."

After six matches Bayern have 14 points, two more than second-placed Hertha Berlin, who beat Borussia Dortmund 3-2 at the Olympic Stadium on Saturday.

In Sunday's other match, Bayer Leverkusen won 3-0 at Hanover 96 to move up to third on 11 points.

Leverkusen's Arturo Vidal slipped the ball through to Stefan Kiessling in the 50th minute and the striker's low shot beat keeper Robert Enke.

Vidal then cheekily sidestepped Enke to slot home Leverkusen's second and Theofanis Gekas struck their third from the penalty spot after Enke brought the Greek player down.

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Bayern Munich forwards Luca Toni and Miroslav Klose scored again, leading their team to a 4-1 win at Karlsruher SC and into first place in the Bundesliga.

Toni scored his fourth goal of the season in the fifth minute and Klose added his league-high fifth in the 20th to help lift Bayern two points clear of Hertha Berlin.

Bayern, which also got goals from Hamit Altintop in the 49th and Ze Roberto in the 75th, is unbeaten this season with four wins and two ties.

Bayer Leverkusen beat Hannover 96 3-0 to move into third place.

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Bayern Munich returned to the top of the Bundesliga on Sunday after celebrating Oliver Kahn's return to Karlsruhe with a 4-1 win.

Kahn started his career at the newly-promoted club but was largely a spectator as Bayern moved two points clear of Hertha Berlin at the summit.

Luca Toni, Miroslav Klose, Hamit Altintop and Ze Roberto were on target for Bayern with Massimiliano Porcello netting for the hosts.

Bayer Leverkusen moved into the top three after a comprehensive 3-0 win in Hannover. Following a goalless first half, Leverkusen fired on all cylinders after the interval with Stefan Kiessling, Arturo Vidal and Theofanis Gekas - from the penalty spot - all finding the target for the visitors.

On Saturday, defending champions Stuttgart suffered a 4-1 mauling at Werder Bremen while Hertha went top with a 3-2 win over Borussia Dortmund.

Armin Veh's Stuttgart got off to the worst possible start at the Weser Stadion when Hugo Almeida put the hosts two up in the first five minutes.

Mario Gomez halved the deficit for the visitors in the 13th minute but Boubacar Sanogo restored Bremen's two-goal cushion within 60 seconds.

Diego then celebrated his new contract - the Brazilian playmaker is now committed to the club until 2011 - by putting the icing on the cake with the fourth goal two minutes from time.

Hertha recovered from going a goal down to Mladen Petric just after the half-hour mark to triumph against Dortmund.

Marko Pantelic (43), Lucio (54) and Solomon Okoronkwo (76) did the damage for the home team before Petric hit his second of the match to give the scoreline some respectability for the visitors.

Schalke beat Arminia Bielefeld 3-0, the goals coming from Kevin Kuranyi (24), Gerald Asamoah (54) and Marcio Rafinha (65), the latter coming from the spot.

Hamburg captain Rafael van der Vaart netted the decisive goal eight minutes after the interval as his side beat Nurnberg 1-0.

Hansa Rostock climbed off the bottom after seeing off Duisburg 2-0 to collect their first points of the season, Sebastian Hahnge (34) and Enrico Kern (53) bagging the goals.

Energie Cottbus take over at the foot after going down 2-1 at home to Wolfsburg. Jacek Krzynowek notched the Wolves' winner seven minutes from time after Dennis Sorensen had cancelled out Edin Dzeko's opener.

The defeat proved the final straw for the Cottbus board who sacked coach Petrik Sander on Sunday morning.

Eintracht Frankfurt and Bochum played out a goalless draw on Friday night.

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Brief reports of Bundesliga matches played on Wednesday:

BAYERN MUNICH 5 ENERGIE COTTBUS 0

Miroslav Klose got his fourth career hat-trick, raising his season's total to eight in six matches, while Martin Demichelis and Luca Toni added a goal each. Bayern got all five goals in the final half hour. They are averaging three per match.


The match in wet conditions also featured the debut of 17-year-old prodigy Toni Kroos, a highly regarded midfielder from Greifswald who came on for the final 28 minutes and played a big part in two goals with pinpoint crosses to Klose.

- - - -

ARMINIA BIELEFELD 0 HANOVER 96 2

Arminia Bielefeld, surprise side of the start of the season, lost their second match in a row, which plunged them from second to 10th in the span of five days ahead of difficult matches at Werder Bremen and at home to Hamburg SV.

Hungary's Szabolcs Huszti converted a penalty in the 54th minute and Sergio Pinto made it 2-0 five minutes from time.

- - - -

VFB STUTTGART 1 VFL BOCHUM 0

Roberto Hilbert helped defending champions Stuttgart bounce back from their 4-1 loss at Werder Bremen on Saturday by scoring the match-winner five minutes after the break.

The victory lifted struggling Stuttgart, who entertain Barcelona in a Champions League match next week, to ninth place with 10 points from seven matches.

- - - -

NUREMBERG 1 BAYER LEVERKUSEN 2

Bayer Leverkusen jumped into second place with their third straight victory, setting up a showdown at home against leaders Bayern Munich on Saturday.

Stefan Kiessling beat two defenders five minutes before the interval to give Leverkusen the lead but Marek Mintal equalised in the 73rd minute with a penalty. Switerland's Tranquillo Barnetta scored the winner three minutes later.

- - - -

EINTRACHT FRANKFURT 0 KARLSRUHE SC 1

Newly promoted Karlsruhe claimed their third away victory of the season, moving up to sixth place from 10th with 12 points from their seven matches.

Defender Maik Franz scored the only goal of the match in the 51st minute, tapping in a loose ball from a corner. Karlsruhe were down to 10 men for the final four minutes after Andreas Goerlitz was sent off with a second yellow card for unsporting conduct.

- - - -

Played on Tuesday:

BORUSSIA DORTMUND 0 HAMBURG SV 3

Hamburg took the lead in the seventh minute through Peruvian Jose Guerrero after a weak clearance by Dortmund keeper Roman Weidenfeller.

Guerrero turned provider in the 42nd, bursting into the box before squaring for Rafael van der Vaart to tap in his fifth goal of the season. Ivica Olic robbed Markus Brzenska to make it 3-0 in the 64th.

Dortmund's Florian Kringe was sent off in the 51st minute.

- - - -

HERTHA BERLIN 1 HANSA ROSTOCK 3

Marco Pantelic headed his fifth goal of the season to put Hertha in front in the second minute.

Midfielder Christian Rahn nodded in the equaliser five minutes before the break and Sebastian Haehnge sent a backward header past Jaroslav Drobny to give Rostock the lead.

With 16 minutes left, Regis Dorn rounded Drobny to slot in the third and give struggling Rostock their second win of the season.

- - - -

MSV DUISBURG 0 SCHALKE 04 2

Duisburg keeper Tom Starke failed to collect on the edge of the area and Schalke striker Halil Altintop spun on the loose ball to fire into the empty net after three minutes.

Peter Lovenkrands broke down the right in the 75th before Kevin Kuranyi collected his pass to power his fourth goal of the season beyond Starke.

- - - -

VFL WOLFSBURG 1 WERDER BREMEN 1

Bremen went in front when keeper Simon Jentzsch parried Diego's first attempt at goal before the Brazilian midfielder poked in the rebound in the 48th minute.

Josue levelled 18 minutes later, beating Tim Wiese with a shot high to the Bremen keeper's right.

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Bayern Munich extended their advantage at the Bundesliga summit to three points with a 5-0 thumping of crisis-hit Energie Cottbus on Wednesday, while German champions Stuttgart got their campaign back on track with a 1-0 win over Bochum.

Germany striker Miroslav Klose was the chief architect of the visitors' downfall with a second-half hat-trick.

Martin Demichelis and Luca Toni also notched after the interval following a goalless first period.

Over the weekend Cottbus, bottom of the league with just two points, sacked popular head coach Petrik Sander - a move that prompted furious fan protests aimed at controversial club president Ulrich Lepsch.

Sander's assistant Thomas Hossmang was asked to take the helm for the game in Munich, but refused due to his close ties with the departed coach.

Amateur team coach Heiko Weber took temporary charge, but could not prevent the league leaders romping to a comfortable win.

Roberto Hilbert grabbed the only goal of the game as Stuttgart, who managed just two victories from their first six games, picked up a much-needed three points. Hilbert struck five minutes into the second half to move Armin Veh's team up four places to ninth in the standings.

Elsewhere, Bundesliga new boys Karlsruhe registered an impressive 1-0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt. Maik Franz grabbed the crucial goal six minutes after the interval. Karlsruhe were reduced to 10 men two minutes from the end when Andreas Gorlitz saw red, but the points were already safe.

Bayer Leverkusen moved up to second spot by triumphing 2-1 at Nurnberg, who remain in the relegation zone.

Steffan Kiessling gave the visitors the lead six minutes before half-time and, although a 73rd-minute penalty from Marek Mintal briefly restored parity, Tranquillo Barnetta's goal three minutes later sealed the points.

Finally on Wednesday, Hannover were 2-0 winners at Arminia Bielefeld. Szabolcs Huszti broke the deadlock from the spot nine minutes after the restart and Sergio Pinto made the game safe five minutes from time.

On Tuesday, Hertha Berlin were on the receiving end of a shock 3-1 home defeat by Hansa Rostock, missing the chance to reclaim top spot.

Marko Pantelic gave the capital club an early lead but Rostock equalised before the break through Christian Rahn. Sebastian Hahnge and substitute Regis Dorn sealed the win after the interval.

It confirmed that Rostock's season is now up and running with two consecutive wins after opening their campaign with five defeats.

Goals from Halil Altintop and Kevin Kuranyi earned Schalke a 2-0 win at Duisburg while Hamburg claimed a 3-0 win at Borussia Dortmund.

Jose Paulo Guerrero and Rafael van der Vaart had already made it 2-0 to Hamburg by the time Florian Kringe was sent off for Dortmund and then Ivica Olic made it 3-0.

Werder Bremen dropped two more points at Wolfsburg who equalised through Josue after Diego had opened the scoring for the northerners.

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Bayern Munich manager Uli Hoeness insisted on Wednesday that German striker Lukas Podolski still has to prove himself - more than a year after joining the Bundesliga giants.

The 22-year-old joined Bayern in July 2006 from Cologne, but having arrived with an impressive goal-scoring record for his old side, he only scored four goals in 22 games last season.

But Podolski has only just come back to form after suffering a knee injury which has kept him out since April.

"He has been at Bayern for nearly a year and a half and this season he must show what he is worth, but he hasn't proved anything yet," Hoeness told the German daily newspaper Sueddeutschen Zeitung on Wednesday.

"In the next six to eight months to come, he must show us that he is worth his place in the team," said the Bayern boss.

Before his arrival in July 2006, Podolski, voted the best young player at the 2006 World Cup, had scored 24 Bundesliga goals for Cologne, but his place in the Bayern first-team is now blocked by Miroslav Klose and Luca Toni.

Italian World Cup winner Toni was signed from Fiorentina for 11 million euros in the summer, while Klose was brought in from rivals Werder Bremen and between them the pair have already scored nine goals this season.

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Bayer Leverkusen will face Bayern Munich on Saturday in a top-of-the-table clash at the BayArena.

Leverkusen has failed to mount a serious title challenge since 2002 but things appear to be on the up, with Michael Skibbe's second-placed side able to pull level with leaders Bayern with three points this weekend.

Skibbe's troops have won their last four competitive games, with Bavaria-born forward Stefan Kiessling playing a major part in those recent triumphs.

After hitting a double in the recent UEFA Cup win against Uniao Leiria, Kiessling was on target again against his former club Nurnberg on Wednesday and is looking to put one over on Bayern come the weekend.

"If you want to stay up at the top, you have got to win these games," Kiessling said. "Now we will see what we can get out of the game against Bayern on Saturday."

There is no risk of Bayern and Bayer making a two-horse race of this season's Bundesliga, however, with a host of other clubs snapping at their heels.

Last season's runners-up Schalke are leading the chase, with the Royal Blues the only other unbeaten team in the league besides Bayern.

Schalke could move into second ahead of Leverkusen before the top two kick off on Saturday, with Mirko Slomka's troops at home to Hertha Berlin on Friday night.

A victory for Hertha would also see them into second place, while Hamburg and Karlsruhe are also challenging at the sharp end.

Hamburg meets Wolfsburg this weekend while newly-promoted Karlsruhe entertain Borussia Dortmund.

At the bottom of the table, stricken Energie Cottbus are still searching for their first win - and a new coach.

Heiko Weber is currently keeping the seat warm following the dismissal of Petrik Sander but his first game at the helm, against Bayern on Wednesday, ended in a 5-0 drubbing.

On Sunday, Cottbus will look to get their season back on track when they welcome Eintracht Frankfurt to the Stadion der Freundschaft.

Hansa Rostock have lifted themselves from the foot of the table with two straight wins, but they still need another three points to move out of the bottom three.

Saturday's game at home to defending champions Stuttgart will provide a stern test, even though their opponents are still seeking their first away points of the season.

Nurnberg is also in the bottom three after losing at home to Leverkusen in midweek. Their coach, Hans Meyer, admits his side are "beginning to doubt ourselves," and Saturday's trip to Bochum will be a good test of their resolve.

Werder Bremen is another team performing way below preseason expectations and will be hoping for a good result against Arminia Bielefeld on Saturday.

Sunday's other fixture sees free-falling Duisburg travel to Hannover with the visitors hoping to halt their run of three consecutive defeats.

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Brief reports of Bundesliga matches played on Sunday:

HANOVER 96 2 MSV DUISBURG 1

Christian Schulz scored both goals for Hanover 96 as they climbed to seventh place on 13 points. Nigeria's Manasseh Ishiaku equalised in the 20th minute with his fifth goal of the season, but Schulz blasted home the winner with a long-distance shot in the 63rd minute.

It was a fourth successive defeat for newly promoted Duisburg, dropping them to the relegation zone with six points.

- - - -

ENERGIE COTTBUS 2 EINTRACHT FRANKFURT 2

Dimitar Rangelov scored two quick goals to give Energie Cottbus a 2-0 lead at halftime in new coach Bojan Prasniker's first match in charge, but his side let the visitors back in the match in the second half. Greece striker Ioannis Amanatidis got one back in the 49th and equalised from the penalty spot 11 minutes from time.

- - - -

Played on Saturday:

BAYER LEVERKUSEN 0 BAYERN MUNICH 1

Italy striker Luca Toni got his sixth goal of the season, tapping in a fine cross from Miroslav Klose, as Bayern remained unbeaten in their first eight matches and moved four points clear of second place Schalke 04 at the top of the table.

Two top young Germany goalkeepers had outstanding matches as Germany coach Joachim Loew looked on. Bayern's Michael Rensing, a late replacement for Oliver Kahn, and Leverkusen's Rene Adler both had several big saves in the entertaining match.

- - - - HAMBURG SV 2 VFL WOLFSBURG 2

Bastian Reinhardt (17) and Rafael van der Vaart (70) put Hamburg in front twice but a surprisingly offensive-minded Wolfsburg equalised with Grafite (57) converting a penalty and Ashkan Dejagah (8 rescuing a point for the visitors.

- - - - HANSA ROSTOCK 2 VFB STUTTGART 1

The champions suffered a humiliating defeat at Hansa Rostock ahead of Tuesday's Champions League match against Barcelona in Stuttgart. It was their fourth away loss in four away matches this season.

Rostock climbed out of the relegation zone with their third win in a week -- after they had lost their first five matches. Tobias Rathgeb (16) and Orestes (17) put the hosts in front before Germany striker Mario Gomez (73) got one back.

- - - - KARLSRUHE SC 3 BORUSSIA DORTMUND 1

Newly promoted Karlsruhe jumped to third place with their fifth victory of the season. Massimilian Porcello (25), Mario Eggimann (64) and Sebastian Freis (75) scored for the surprise side of the season.

Christian Woerns got the equaliser for Dortmund in the 41st minute. Dortmund have lost their last three matches, dropping down the table towards the relegation zone.

- - - - VFL BOCHUM 3 NUREMBERG 3

Bosnia's Zvjezdan Misimovic got the equaliser in the 81st minute for Nuremberg against his former club.

Bochum had twice fallen behind before Stanislav Sestak put the hosts ahead 3-2 in the 66th minute.

- - - - WERDER BREMEN 8 ARMINIA BIELEFELD 1

Werder Bremen tuned up for their Champions League match on Wednesday against Olympiakos Piraeus on Wednesday and equalled a club record of eight goals in a Bundesliga match set in 1983.

Peter Niemeyer (17), Hugo Almeida (35 and 8, Boubacar Sanogo (41 and 44), Per Mertesacker (59), Markus Rosenberg (66) and Diego (85) all found the net for Werder.

- - - -

Played on Friday:

SCHALKE 04 1 HERTHA BERLIN 0

Brazilian defender Rafinha scored the only goal from the penalty spot just before halftime to give Schalke, who visit Rosenborg Trondheim in the Champions League on Wednesday, their third league victory in seven days.

Schalke went ahead against the run of play when Jermaine Jones was brought down just inside the area by defender Steve von Bergen after a quick break started by keeper Manuel Neuer.

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Brief reports of Bundesliga matches played on Sunday:

BAYERN MUNICH 3 NUREMBERG 0

Italy striker Luca Toni scored twice to raise his league tally to eight, giving him a share of the Bundesliga goalscoring lead with teammate Miroslav Klose. Ze Roberto added a goal for Bayern, set up by a fine pass from Bastian Schweinsteiger.

Bayern are unbeaten with seven victories in nine league matches and have opened up a Bundesliga record five-point lead after nine rounds.

- - - -

EINTRACHT FRANKFURT 2 BAYER LEVERKUSEN 1

Sotiris Kyrgiakos scored both goals for Eintracht Frankfurt, in the 54th and 79th minutes after Marco Russ' own goal equalised for Bayer in the 72nd minute.

Leverkusen started well and had more first half chances but appeared to tire in the second half after their 3-2 UEFA Cup loss on Thursday at Uniao Leiria.

- - - -

Played on Saturday:

SCHALKE 04 0 KARLSRUHE 2

Christian Timm hit two second-half goals against the run of play as Karlsruhe handed Schalke their first league defeat of the season.

Both goals were set up by Hungary midfielder Tamas Hajnal.

- - - -

VFB STUTTGART 0 HANOVER 96 2

VfB Stuttgart capped a miserable week by recording their third successive defeat.

The champions were reduced to 10 men in the seventh minute when Fernando Meira was sent off for handling in front of his goal.

Szabolcs Huszti converted the resulting penalty and added a header in the 52nd minute.

- - - -

MSV DUISBURG 1 WERDER BREMEN 3

Werder Bremen bounced back from their 3-1 Champions League defeat by Olympiakos Piraeus to defeat Duisburg, who finished with nine men.

Daniel Jensen, Boubacar Sanogo and Leon Andreasen scored for Bremen.

Brazilian striker Ailton, making his full debut, was on target for Duisburg, who had Pablo Caceres and Blagoi Georgiev sent off in the second half.

- - - -

ARMINIA BIELEFELD 0 HAMBURG SV 1

Captain Rafael van der Vaart notched the only goal in the 49th minute as Hamburg stretched their unbeaten run to four matches.

The Dutch international scored for the seventh consecutive game, equalling the club record set by Uwe Seeler.

- - - -

HERTHA BERLIN 0 ENERGIE COTTBUS 0

Hertha, who have one point from their last three matches, had a chance to win in stoppage time against bottom club Cottbus but Serbia striker Marko Pantelic struck the bar with a penalty.

- - - -

VFL WOLFSBURG 1 HANSA ROSTOCK 0

Bosnia's Edin Dzeko netted in the 89th minute to give coach Felix Magath's team their first home victory of the season and end Rostock's three-match winning streak.

Earlier, Marcelinho had a 40th-minute penalty saved by Rostock keeper Stefan Waechter.

- - - -

Played on Friday:

BORUSSIA DORTMUND 2 VFL BOCHUM 1

Ten-man Borussia Dortmund won the Ruhr derby to end a three-match losing sequence and ease the pressure on coach Thomas Doll.

Brazilian Tinga put Dortmund in front before Pole Marcin Mieciel levelled. Italian midfielder Giovanni Federico then grabbed the winner with 20 minutes left.

Dortmund captain Christian Woerns was sent off early in the second half for a second bookable offence.

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Brief reports of Bundesliga matches this weekend:

Played on Sunday:

HANOVER 96 2 VfL WOLFSBURG 2

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Hanover twice came from behind to gain a point from a game that saw all four goals come in the space of 13 minutes in the first half.

The first goal was the best, as Marcelinho played a one-two with Grafite before striking in the 21st minute.

Sergio Pinto got the equaliser in the 28th minute, tapping in at the second attempt after his first effort had come back off a post.

Wolfsburg were ahead again within a minute when Ashkan Dejagah poked in a cross from Jacek Krzynowek at the far post but Michael Tarnat got Hanover back level for the second time in the 34th minute, heading in after a mistake from the defence had left him unmarked in front of goal. - - - -

KARLSRUHE 0 ARMINIA BIELEFELD 0

Karlsruhe, looking for a win to take back second spot, created chances at the start of each half but otherwise Bielefeld looked comfortable as they held on for a draw.

The closest the home side came was in the second minute when Tamas Hajnal broke off from the wall at a free kick, took a short pass and was a metre wide with his shot. - - - -

Played on Saturday:

HAMBURG SV 4 VfB STUTTGART 1

Ivica Olic scored a first-half hat-trick to leave the champions deeper in crisis.

Mohamed Zidan set up Olic for a great finish for the first goal in the seventh minute and slack defending saw the Croatian international steal in for two more close-range finishes to make it 3-0.

Pavel Pardo was sent off at the end of the first half to leave Stuttgart in further disarray and they fell 4-0 down with a Joris Mathijsen header on the hour mark. Serdar Tasci got one back in the 73rd minute to salvage a little pride.

- - - -

NUREMBERG 5 EINTRACHT FRANKFURT 1

Nuremberg moved out of the bottom three with their best performance of the season.

Frankfurt had taken the lead in the 12th minute with a smart goal from Japan's Naohiro Takahara before the Nuremberg comeback began with a goal from Angelos Haristeas, after a well worked free kick.

Marek Mintal tapped in the second just after the break and a penalty from Zvjezdan Misimovic made it 3-0 in the 54th minute. Mintal grabbed his second 10 minutes later and Josh Kennedy rounded off the scoring.

- - - -

BAYER LEVERKUSEN 2 BORUSSIA DORTMUND 2

Leverkusen twice came from behind to salvage a draw from an entertaining game.

Mladen Petric put Dortmund ahead with a 15-metre volley four minutes before the break. Theofanis Gekas tapped in the first equaliser in the 52nd minute, following a great run from Paul Freier, before Petric restored the lead with his second following a mistake from defender Lukas Sinkiewicz.

Dortmund were holding on well before Stefan Kiessling nicked a point for the home side when he headed in with four minutes to go.

- - - -

HANSA ROSTOCK 1 SCHALKE 04 1

A calamitous mistake from Schalke goalkeeper Manuel Neuer cost Schalke victory.

The visitors had taken the lead in the 33rd minute with a fine shot on the turn from Gerald Asamoah. They threw away their advantage when Neuer, on the edge of the area, rolled the ball straight to Marc Stein to chip it back over his head.

- - - -

VfL BOCHUM 1 BAYERN MUNICH 2

Bayern had Franck Ribery to thank for victory against stubborn Bochum, who had taken a deserved lead in the 11th minute when Dennis Grote beat Michael Rensing with a superb swerving shot.

Ribery got Bayern back level with a delicious back-heel between his legs 10 minutes before halftime. Ten minutes before the end of the second half the Frenchman teed up substitute Bastian Schweinsteiger for the winner.

- - - -

WERDER BREMEN 3 HERTHA BERLIN 2

Werder stayed on the Bayern trail with a fourth successive home win.

Hugo Almeida squeezed in a shot to put Werder into the lead in the 57th minute. Gilberto soon equalised for Hertha but within a minute Werder were back ahead as Markus Rosenberg embarrassed the keeper again at his near post.

Leon Andreasen gave Werder breathing space in the 74th minute and Hertha's second, through Solomon Okoronkwo in the second minute of added time, coming too late to spark a comeback.

- - - -

Played on Friday:

ENERGIE COTTBUS 1 MSV DUISBURG 2

Two free kicks earned Duisburg a valuable win over the bottom club.

Bjoern Schlicke fired Duisburg into a seventh-minute lead with a low strike from more than 30 metres that surprised keeper Tomislav Piplica.

Cottbus equalised in the 66th when Timo Rost turned in a rebound before Ivica Grlic restored Duisburg's lead with another direct free kick 16 minutes from time.

[abadani69]

Bayern Munich attacking midfielder Franck Ribery is doubtful for their UEFA Cup Group F match against Red Star Belgrade on Thursday, coach of the German club Ottmar Hitzfeld said.

The French international has been suffering from a thigh injury since Bayern's 2-1 win over VfL Bochum on Saturday, though he had light training on Monday.

"He (Ribery) is doubtful for Thursday," Hitzfeld said. Bayern lead the German league and are the overwhelming favourites for the UEFA Cup which they won in 1996.

[abadani69]

Brief reports of Bundesliga
matches this weekend:

Played Saturday:

ARMINIA BIELEFELD 1 ENERGIE COTTBUS 1

Bottom club Cottbus struck three minutes into added time to
salvage a point from this tight game.

Bielefeld had been set for victory thanks to a beautifully
struck 35-metre shot from Jonas Kamper in the 77th minute only
for Dennis Sorensen to pop up with a headed equaliser at the
last gasp.
- - - -

HANSA ROSTOCK 0 KARLSRUHE SC 0

Karlsruhe slipped further off the title pace with a second
successive goalless draw.

The visitors came closest to a goal two minutes from time
when Massimilian Porcello cracked in a free kick that the
Rostock keeper did well to tip over.
- - - -

HERTHA BERLIN 2 VfL BOCHUM 0

Inconsistent Hertha turned in one of their better displays
of the season to seal a good win.

A Marcel Maltritz own goal set the club from the capital on
their way and Marko Pantelic made it 2-0 10 minutes before the
break, controlling a long punt forward on his chest and sweeping
in on the turn for a memorable goal.
- - - -

SCHALKE 04 1 WERDER BREMEN 1

Werder came from behind to take a point from a tough game
but they will be disappointed by the result after striker
Boubacar Sanogo missed two simple chances.

Carlos Grossmueller put Schalke ahead with a free kick in
the 14th minute before Sanogo missed his first excellent chance
from a free shot on goal.

Naldo headed in from a free kick to give Werder the
equaliser in the 34th minute and Schalke had a good spell before
Sanogo missed an even better opportunity for the winner, poking
wide after a Torsten Frings cross had teed him up perfectly.
- - - -

VfB STUTTGART 1 BAYER LEVERKUSEN 0

Stuttgart were once again a long way from the sort of form
that took them to the title last year but they at least showed
they retain a little of the luck of champions as they sneaked a
much needed victory.

Andreas Beck got the all important goal, tapping in from a
few metres out in the 72nd minute after Thomas Hitzlsperger's
run on goal had been blocked.
- - - -

VfL WOLFSBURG 3 NUREMBERG 1

Wolfsburg made the most of an early stroke of luck to
stretch their unbeaten run to six matches.

Felix Magath's side were gifted the lead after half an hour
when Angelos Haristeas, under no pressure whatsoever,
inexplicably headed past his own goalkeeper.

Grafite stroked in left-footed for a fine second five
minutes later before Nuremberg got one back with a penalty from
Zvjezdan Misimovic early in the second half.

Wolfsburg were briefly under pressure, but that was relieved
when Ashkan Dejagah got their third in the 67th minute.
- - - -

Played Friday:

EINTRACHT FRANKFURT 0 HANOVER 96 0

Hanover missed a chance to move into the Bundesliga's top
four with this result.

Frankfurt enjoyed most of the possession and by far the
better chances in the first half but Hanover had a good spell
after the break and better finishing would have given them
victory.
- - - -

Playing Sunday (1600 GMT):
Borussia Dortmund v Bayern Munich
MSV Duisburg v Hamburg SV

[abadani69]

Bayern Munich saw its lead atop the Bundesliga shrink Sunday after being held to a 0-0 draw at Borussia Dortmund.

Bayern twice hit the cross bar and survived a flurry of quality chances for Dortmund to extend its undefeated streak in the league to 21 games, dating to last season.

But Ottmar Hitzfeld's team are just four points ahead of Hamburg, who beat Duisburg 1-0 in Sunday's other game.

Belgian defender Vincent Kompany got the goal in the 37th minute to keep Hamburg unbeaten in six games.

On Saturday, Reigning German champion Stuttgart took its first steps out of the doldrums by posting a scrappy 1-0 victory at home to Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.

After being thrashed by Hamburg last time out and having suffered a home defeat to Lyon in the Champions League in midweek, Stuttgart displayed its battling qualities to record a first win since September thanks to Andreas Beck's 72nd-minute goal.

After dropping to 14th place last weekend, Armin Veh's troops are now 12th in the table on 13 points, just five shy of the European places.

Leverkusen slips to 10th with 15 points following the fourth loss of the campaign.

Werder Bremen maintained its challenge towards the top of the standings with a vital away point against Schalke.

Carlos Grossmuller gave the hosts the lead but Naldo equalized for Bremen, which is now unbeaten in its last six league matches.

The draw leaves Bremen in second place - five points behind leaders Bayern Munich, which play Borussia Dortmund on Sunday.