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Germany round-up: Bayern move closer to title

FC Bayern München won again to move 15 points ahead as nearest challengers BV Borussia Dortmund drew.

FC Bayern München moved a step closer to the 1. Bundesliga title as a narrow 1-0 win against FC Hansa Rostock enabled the leaders to open up a 15-point gap at the top of the table.

Dortmund held
Despite a below-par performance, an own goal on the hour from Hansa defender Michael Kovar gave the home side the win, which was made all the more important as champions BV Borussia Dortmund dropped further off the pace as they were held to a 0-0 draw at DSC Arminia Bielefeld. The closest the away side came to scoring was in the closing stages, but Czech Republic striker Jan Koller’s effort was ruled out for offside.

Sunday action
Third-placed VfB Stuttgart have the chance to move second in the standings on Sunday when they play at home to 1. FC Nürnberg, while fellow challengers for a European place Hertha BCS Berlin are also at home, to bottom side FC Energie Cottbus.

Hamburg success
Hamburger SV remained in fourth place after slipping to a 2-0 defeat at struggling VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach, who moved out of the relegation zone after second-half goals from defender Marcelo Pletsch and Mikael Forssell sealed three important points.

Schalke stifled
FC Schalke 04’s bid for a UEFA Cup spot also suffered a setback as they were held to a 1-1 draw at home by TSV 1860 München. Belgian striker Emile Mpenza opened the scoring for Schalke after 38 minutes, but a misplaced backpass from Marco van Hoogdalem two minutes before half-time gave the away side a share of the points.

Hannover recovery
SV Werder Bremen also suffered an unexpected defeat, as Hannover 96 earned a 2-1 victory at the seventh-placed side. Brazilian forward Ailton gave Werder the lead after ten minutes, scoring with a shot from an angle, before German striker Fredi Bobic headed Hannover level shortly before half-time. Bobic then missed a penalty after 57 minutes, but made amends 14 minutes from time, scoring the winning goal from close range.

Leverkusen in danger
At the other end of the table, Bayer 04 Leverkusen slipped into the relegation zone after suffering a 1-0 defeat at fellow strugglers 1. FC Kaiserslautern. Leverkusen, who became the first side to lose all six second-group stage games in the UEFA Champions League when they suffered a 2-0 home defeat to Internazionale FC in midweek, slipped to 16th place after Miroslav Klose’s fine header five minutes before half-time gave Kaiserslautern a win that extended their unbeaten run to ten games.

Wolfsburg win
Meanwhile, VfL Wolfsburg defeated VfL Bochum 1848 2-0, with striker Tomislav Maric deflecting an effort from midfield player Miroslav Karhan into the net to give them the lead in the 21st minute, before fellow forward Roy Präger doubled the advantage on 30 minutes, scoring at the second attempt after his initial effort had been saved by Bochum goalkeeper Rein van Duijnhoven.

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