Leaders Borussia Dortmund enjoyed a hard-fought 1-0 win at struggling Hertha Berlin on Saturday to stay top of the German league thanks to a second-half strike from midfielder Kevin Grosskreutz.
After a bullet header from Poland striker Robert Lewandowski was parried by Hertha goalkeeper Thomas Kraft, Grosskreutz was on hand to hit an over-head shot on 66 minutes to finally break Berlin's resistence after a brave display.
Berlin's Olympic Stadium was sold-out with all 74,244 seats taken and Dortmund were without injured Japan wing Shinji Kagawa with coach Jurgen Klopp starting Lucas Barrios as the loan striker.
Hertha, who sacked coach Michael Skibbe last Sunday after five straight defeats, remain 15th in the league and Otto Rehhagel, who led Greece to the Euro 2004 title, will take over on Sunday.
With Bayern Munich at bottom side Freiburg on Saturday night, Borussia Moenchengladbach took their chance to take second place after a 2-1 win at Kaiserslautern.
Midfielder Patrick Herrmann scored Gladbach's first goal after only nine minutes, before he was later carried off with a shoulder injury, and Venezuela star Juan Arango made it 2-0 with a great strike on 14 minutes.
Denmark defender Leon Jessen scored the consolation goal for Kaiserslautern.
Werder Bremen earned the bragging rights in the north German derby with a 3-1 win at Hamburg.
The guests took the lead after Bremen winger Marko Marin after nine minutes, but was later hit by a full beer cup thrown from the stands while he prepared to take a corner.
Bremen's teenage midfielder Tom Trybull, 18, scored his first German league goal with a great header on the verge of half-time.
Hamburg striker Mladen Petric pulled a goal back with a well-struck free-kick on 76 minutes before Austria striker Marko Arnautovic settled the issue on 86 minutes to settle Werder's 3-1 victory.
Bayer Leverkusen, who were beaten 3-1 at home by holders Barcelona in the Champions League in midweek, bounced back to stay sixth with a 4-1 win over Augsburg, who are second from bottom.
Nuremberg pulled themselves up to 12th and out of the relegation mire with a 2-1 win at home to Cologne, who drop to 14th, just two places from the relegation zone.
On Sunday, Schalke 04 need a win at home to VfL Wolfsburg to stay amongst the title contenders while Hanover host Stuttgart.
Source: AFP
