Germany round-up: Van Lent torments Köln

VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach saw off fellow relegation battlers 1. FC Köln 4-0 at the Bökelbergstadion on Tuesday, with all the goals coming in the second half.

Van Lent hat-trick
Dutch striker Arie van Lent scored a hat-trick in a 14-minute spell to take his tally this season to nine goals as Mönchengladbach celebrated their biggest league win since October 1997 and only their second home success of the season. Van Lent, who had not found the net since 7 September, is the first Mönchengladbach player to score a hat-trick since Alan Simonsen on 29 October 1977.

Münch penalty
Markus Münch scored first for Mönchengladbach from the penalty spot in the 51st minute after Stefan Korell was fouled by Köln's Markus Kurth. Van Lent struck three minutes later after dummying Köln's Dirk Lottner. The Dutchman made it 3-0 six minutes later after he was put through by Ghana's Lawrence Aidoo and then struck his third goal in the 68th minute to complete the rout.

Precarious position
Once-mighty Mönchengladbach remain 14th in the 18-team first division but Köln are left in a far more precarious position - six points behind Tuesday's tormentors. It was their seventh goalless match in a row and they have not scored for 689 minutes since the 2-1 away win against FC St. Pauli on 24 November 2001.

Hässler on target
TSV 1860 München overcame fifth-placed SV Werder Bremen 3-1 at home to move up to eighth position in the table. Australian Paul Agostino opened the scoring for 1860 after 18 minutes when Harald Cerny put him through but Kristzián Listzes equalised for Bremen six minutes later to send the sides in level at half-time. Another sweet pass from Cerny allowed Martin Max to restore 1860's advantage after the break before former German international Thomas Hässler completed the scoring, slotting home a 74th-minute penalty to make it 3-1.

Two for Cacau
VfB Stuttgart were beaten 3-2 by 1. FC Nürnberg despite twice coming from behind. Nürnberg striker Cacau capitalised on a poor clearance to score the opening goal after 15 minutes but Brazilian Marcelo José Bordon equalised after 24 minutes with a stunning free-kick from 25 metres. Cacau put the visitors ahead just two minutes later, again after a defensive error, and Stuttgart had to wait until the 59th minute for Ioan Viorel Ganea to equalise for a second time.

Larsen winner
Nürnberg, however, sealed three valuable points through a free-kick from Tommy Larsen, leaving them 16th in the table but now five points ahead of Köln and seven clear of FC St. Pauli, the bottom club. FC Energie Cottbus remain one point above Nürnberg after they beat Hertha BSC Berlin 1-0, Marko Topic scoring the decisive goal in the 85th minute, while SC Freiburg shared a goalless draw with VfL Wolfsburg in the night's other game.