Bundesliga

Bayern Munich can start celebrating a 21st championship title with their 4-1 victory over VfB Stuttgart on Sunday, although the champagne will stay officially on ice.

Bayern’s Luca Toni scored his 21st of the season in the 8th minute to open things up for Bayern, but Stuttgart’s Antonio Da Silva evened the balance at one eleven minutes later with a goal from a free kick that had been deflected by Bayern’s Mark Van Bommel.

With the match tied at the half and both sides looking lively, it seemed the game might be a thriller. But Bayern would have none of that.

In the 55th minute Mark Van Bommel banged a goal in off an indirect free kick. Two minutes later he was substituted in favour of Franck Ribery (who had been rested ahead of Bayern’s UEFA up semi-final second leg at midweek), and the game was soon turned.

The Frenchman put in two goals in two minutes, the first a beauty of shot technique from the edge of the box, and the second one of footwork, in which a simple cutback in the box rid him of the attentions of two defenders. Stuttgart, at that point, pretty much rolled over and died.

Werder Bremen's outside hopes of challenging Bayern for the Bundesliga title all but faded completely after they were held to a 3-3 draw at Karlsruhe Saturday.

Schalke 04 meanwhile earned a 1-0 win at off-form SV Hamburg, and Bayern are virtually assured of the title.

Ottmar Hitzfeld's side are 12 points clear with four matches remaining, but with a goal difference which is 17 better than Bremen's and 21 better than Schalke's.

Anything other a league title for Bayern following last week's German Cup title would then be inconceivable.

Bremen's slim title aspirations looked even more remote after they failed to win at Karlsruhe, only just earning a draw thanks to a goal four minutes from time from Boubacar Sanogo.

Karlsruhe's Sebastian Freis scored twice before Edmond Kapllani put the home side 3-2 up in the 69th minute.

Bremen had come from behind to a 15th-minute Freis goal, with Brazilian midfielder Diego equalizing in the 23rd and Mesut Ozil netting six minutes later.

Freis finished off a solo run from his own half to level in the 59th and Bremen were caught open at the back for Kapllani to score 10 minutes later, but Sanogo rescued a point when he bundled the ball over the line from a Diego cross.

"We left the points behind today. We had many clear chances... we only have ourselves to blame," Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf said.

The result leaves Bremen second, level on 54 points with Schalke, with these two sides remaining neck and neck in the battle for a direct qualifying place for next season's Champions League.

Schalke got off to a perfect start at Hamburg when an unmarked Kevin Kuranyi nodded in a cross from Albert Sreit after just two minutes.

SV Hamburg stay fourth on 48 points but see their hopes of European football next year beginning to fade after six games without a win.

They dropped to fifth, as Bayer Leverkusen split the points Sunday with a home 2-2 draw with Wolfsburg.

The battle to avoid relegation remained tense, with Energie Cottbus coming from behind with 10 men to beat fellow strugglers Hansa Rostock 2-1 with an injury time goal.

Duisburg took the lead at Bochum thanks to a brilliant 30-metre free-kick from Claudiu Niculescu, but the home side hit back with an 84th-minute header from Stanislav Sestak.

Arminia Bielefeld meanwhile came from 2-0 down at Nuremberg to earn a 2-2 draw.

The results leave Duisburg bottom on 26 points, one adrift of Hansa Rostock and Nuremberg.

Hanover failed to hold onto a 2-0 home lead to draw 2-2 with Hertha Berlin, while on Friday evening, mid-table sides Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Dortmund finished 1-1.

Bayern Munich 66
Werder Bremen 54
Schalke 04 54
Bayer Leverkusen 48
SV Hamburg 48
VfB Stuttgart 48
VfL Wolfsburg 44
Frankfurt 43
Hanover 96 42
Karlsruhe 42
VfL Bochum 38
Hertha Berlin 35
Dortmund 35
Energie Cottbus 32
Arminia Bielefeld 29
Nuremberg 27
Hansa Rostock 27
MSV Duisburg 26