Naldo treble boosts Bremen
Saturday, December 9, 2006
Article summary
Naldo hit a hat-trick as Werder Bremen stormed to a 6-2 victory against Eintracht Frankfurt while VfB Stuttgart and FC Bayern München enjoyed narrower wins.
Article body
Naldo hat-trick
Werder bounced back from their midweek UEFA Champions League disappointment against FC Barcelona to trounce Eintracht Frankfurt 6-2. Naldo put his side ahead in the third minute only for Marco Russ to equalise within a minute but Daniel Jansen restored his sidfe's lead on eleven minutes and Naldo then headed in a Torsten Frings free-kick before completing his hat-trick with a free-kick of his own just after the break. Sotiris Kyrgiakos pulled one back for the home side with nine minutes to go but Jurica Vranješ and Diego both added further strikes before the end.
Stuttgart second
Stuttgart moved into second place following a narrow 1-0 victory against VfL Bochum 1848. Swiss substitute Marco Streller had only been on the field eight minutes when he pounced to score at a goalmouth scramble following a corner in the 87th minute and the three points helped Armin Veh’s side leapfrog FC Schalke 04, who play on Sunday.
Schweinsteiger on song
Bayern also kept in touch with the leaders after grinding out a hard-earned 2-1 victory against FC Energie Cottbus. In-form midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger was instrumental in the victory and put his side ahead in the 42nd minute. Cottbus equalised through a Steffen Baumgart header seven minutes after the break but Bayern took the lead again within two minutes when Daniel van Buyten rose to head in Schweinsteiger's free-kick.
Three draws
Saturday's other matches in the Bundesliga all resulted in draws as struggling Hamburger SV were held 0-0 at home against ninth-placed 1. FC Nürnberg. Bottom club 1. FSV Mainz 05 failed to move above Thomas Doll's men after sharing a 1-1 draw with VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach while Hanover 96 also drew 1-1 against SDSC Arminia Bielefeld, who remain in sixth place.
Leverkusen revival
On Friday Bayer 04 Leverkusen rejoined the title race with a 2-1 win against fifth-placed Hertha BSC Berlin, who had taken the lead with Marko Pantelić's tenth goal of the season midway through the first half. Leverkusen levelled when Paul Freier blasted in from close range and sealed all three points with a fine free-kick from Marko Babić.
