Story highlights
Borussia Monchengladbach fail to take top spot in German league
Augsburg move off the bottom of the table after surprise 1-0 home victory
Werder Bremen's win over Wolfsburg means two points separate leading five clubs
Sixth-placed Bayer Leverkusen lost ground on Bremen after being held by Hannover
Borussia Monchengladbach’s title hopes suffered a big blow on Saturday with a shock 1-0 defeat at bottom club Augsburg that stopped Lucien Favre’s team moving top of the German Bundesliga.
Gladbach stayed fourth, but just a point behind leaders Bayern Munich – who travel to Stuttgart on Sunday.
The North Rhine-Westphalia club’s former player Jan-Ingwer Callsen-Bracker netted the only goal with a deflected effort in the 51st minute as promoted Augsburg moved above Freiburg.
Werder Bremen beat Wolfsburg 4-1 to ensure that only two points separate the top five teams as the season nears the halfway stage.
Schalke second after Berlin win
Bremen were on the end of the same scoreline last time out at Bayern, but took the lead after only 18 minutes when Greek defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos made no mistake from close range as goalkeeper Diego Benaglio could not gather Lukas Schmitz’s free-kick.
Claudio Pizarro combined with Aleksandar Ignjovski to double the lead just before the break, and Markus Rosenberg’s solo effort made it 3-0 on 55 before Sokratis’ replacement Marko Arnautovic added another.
Marcel Schafer scored a late consolation for Felix Magath’s side, who stayed 14th in the 18-team league.
Sixth-placed Bayer Leverkusen have qualified for the knockout stage of the European Champions League, but lost ground on Bremen after being held 0-0 at Hannover.
Hannover joined seventh-placed Stuttgart on 22 points from 16 games.
Hoffenheim claimed ninth place with a 2-0 at Nuremberg as a goal in each half from Bosnian striker Vedad Ibisevic left the home side fourth from bottom.
Nuremberg had U.S. international Timothy Chandler sent off soon after Ibesivec’s 40th-minute opener, while Hoffenheim’s Marvin Compper was also dismissed for illegally thwarting a late breakaway.
Cologne climbed to 10th with a 4-0 victory that consigned Freiburg to the bottom, as young striker Christian Clemens and experienced Germany international Lukas Podolski both netted twice – the latter taking his season’s tally to 13 goals.
Mainz moved a point above Wolfsburg after a 0-0 draw at home to Hamburg, who joined Hertha Berlin on 19 points.
Hertha lost 2-1 at Schalke on Friday as the Royal Blues joined Bayern on 31 points.
