Germany round-up: Stuttgart stay in front

VfB Stuttgart maintained their one-point lead in the Bundesliga with a comfortable 3-0 win away at TSV 1860 München.

No room for error
However, five of the top six teams in the table all won, leaving the table looking as congested as ever with a single point separating the first three.

Early lead
Stuttgart, still yet to concede a league goal this season, were quickly into their stride in Munich, taking the lead in the tenth minute through captain Zvominir Soldo. The leaders doubled their advantage seven minutes later from the penalty spot, with Fernando Meira converting the kick.

Gleb glee
The visitors effectively wrapped up all three points five minutes into the second half, as Belarussian midfield player Aleksandr Gleb added a third as he finished off a fine solo run.

Bremen boost
SV Werder Bremen moved into second place on goal difference thanks to a resounding 4-1 win at bottom side 1.FC Köln, French playmaker Johan Micoud opening the scoring in the tenth minute and Ivan Klasnic making it 0-2 five minutes before half-time.

Last-gasp fourth
Paul Stalteri effectively sealed the points with a third in the 70th minute and, although Matthias Scherz pulled a goal back with eleven minutes remaining, Bremen had the last word as Angelos Charisteas added a fourth two minutes into stoppage time.

Schneider strike
Bremen's win meant that Bayer 04 Leverkusen dropped to third despite a 1-0 win at VfL Wolfsburg – thanks to Bernd Schneider's strike three minutes before the hour – while champions FC Bayern München needed a late Roy Makaay goal to defeat FC Hansa Rostock 2-1. Roque Santa Cruz had given the visitors the lead on the half-hour, but Bayern were pegged back two minutes into the second half when Thomas Linke scored an own goal.

Ewerthon enough
BV Borussia Dortmund also secured a single-goal victory, with Ewerthon's strike eight minutes past the hour enough to defeat SC Freiburg 1-0. Hannover 96 went down by the same scoreline as Miroslav Klose's goal two minutes into added time earned 1.FC Kaiserslautern all three points.

Dramatic leveller
VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach also needed an added-time goal, with Arie van Lent's second of the match in the 92nd minute earning a 2-2 draw at home to VfL Bochum 1848. Van Lent had opened the scoring in the fifth minutes from the penalty spot, but Mamadou Diabang equalised on the hour and Peter Madsen's strike a minute from time seemed to have settled the match.

Opportunity missed
Sunday's action focused on the lower end of the table, with three of the bottom four in action - and with both games ending in 1-1 draws, the opportunity to climb up the standings went begging.

Valuable point
Eintracht Frankfurt will be the happiest of the sides after picking up a point from their away game against FC Shalke 04, who could have moved ninth with a victory. Dario Rodriguez gave the visitors the lead with a 33rd-minute header but Brazilian Chris equalised before half-time.

Late leveller
In the other game, Hertha BSC Berlin thought they had recorded their first win of the season when they entered added time against Hamburger SV protecting a 1-0 lead courtesy of ARne Friedrich's 32nd-minute goal. But defender Björn Schlike had other ideas, rescuing a draw for visiting Hamburg at the death.