Close matches

At the top of the Bundesliga table, undefeated Bayer Leverkusen were able to hold on to first place for another week after a scoreless draw against Hannover 96. But that makes five draws in the last seven matches for Leverkusen, meaning the gap between them and the rest of the Bundesliga is steadily shrinking.

Leverkusen's coach Jupp Heynckes said his side didn't play to its potential.

"We were missing something today," said Heynckes. "We lacked precision in our passing and we were not so certain in midfield."

The draw gives second place Werder Bremen the chance to cut Leverkusen's lead to a single point with a win against Cologne on Sunday.

Pressure is also mounting on Leverkusen from Bayern Munich, who gained ground with a 2-1 win against Borussia Moenchengladbach on Friday night.

Bayern striker Mario Gomez started the scoring in that match with a low line-drive in the 19th minute, but Moenchengladbach's Roel Brouwers added the equalizer in the 28th.

The two teams stayed at 1-1 until late in the game, when a free kick from Bayern defender Holger Badstuber put the home team on top. The loss ended a five-game undefeated streak for Moenchengladbach.

Dortmund romps Nuremburg

The first goal of the match in Dortmund from Kevin Grosskreutz in the eighth minute would have been enough to keep visiting Nuremburg at bay. But Dortmund steadily added to its lead with strikes from Lucas Barrios (13th minute), Mohamed Zidan (36th), and Mats Hummels (61st) for a final score of 4-0.

The loss pushes Nuremburg further into the basement in the Bundesliga, where they now occupy the second-to-last position. Coming into the weekend, that spot belonged to VfB Stuttgart, who were denied their first win in eight matches in the closing minutes of their home game against Bochum.

Stuttgart defender Serdar Tasci put the home side in front in the 63rd minute, and it looked like the one goal would be enough to secure the three points for Markus Babbel's struggling side. But Bochum, down to ten men after Diego Klimowicz was sent off with a red card in the 81st minute, managed a last gasp free-kick from defender Christian Fuchs in the 89th minute that got the best of Stuttgart keeper Jens Lehmann.

The final score was a 1-1 draw, but it stung almost as much as a loss for Stuttgart.

"The result is a great disappointment. We were leading 1-0 and I didn't feel Bochum looked like being a danger," said coach Babbel. "We had been playing with a lot of concentration particularly in the second half so it was particularly disappointing to concede the goal."

Three points for Frankfurt, draws for Hamburg and Wolfsburg

Rounding out the rest of Saturday's matches, hosts Eintracht Frankfurt beat Mainz 2-0. Defender Maik Franz put Frankfurt ahead in the first half, and midfielder Alexander Meier added another for good measure just as time expired in the 90th minute. Hamburg and Hoffenheim played to a 0-0 draw in Hamburg.

Freiburg blew a chance at an upset over defending Bundesliga champions Wolfsburg thanks to an own goal via a header from Felix Bastians in the 27th minute. Freiburg had taken the lead in the 19th minute on a strike from Mohamadou Idrissou.

A penalty in the 51st minute from midfielder Ivica Banovic gave visiting Freiburg the lead again, but Wolfsburg set the final score of 2-2 in the 81st minute after a lofting shot from midfielder Fabian Johnson.

mz/DPA/AFP

Editor: Darren Mara