Story highlights
Bayern Munich beat Hanover 2-1 in German Bundesliga
Top scorer Mario Gomez scores second for 23rd of league season
Victory cuts Borussia Dortmund's lead to two points at top
AC Milan stretch lead in Italy to seven points with win over Roma
Bayern Munich cut Borussia Dortmund’s lead at the top of the Bundesliga to two points with a 2-1 home win over Hanover Saturday.
Midfielder Toni Kroos put the in-form home side ahead with a neatly taken goal in the first half.
Striker Mario Gomez made it 2-0 on 68 minutes as he beat Hanover keeper Ron-Robert Zieler with a low shot.
It was the 23rd goal in 26 league games for the top scorer in the Bundesliga this season.
Ivory Coast striker Didier Ya Konan gave Hanover late hope with a spectacular overhead kick six minutes later, but Bayern held on for the three points.
Hanover, who face Atletico Madrid in the fist leg of their Europa League quarterfinal Thursday, won praise from Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes.
“You can see why Hanover 96 are in the last eight of the Europa League and the top third of the league table,” he told AFP.
“They were well organized and not easy to play against. Overall, we deserved the win and I am very satisfied.”
Third-placed Borussia Moechengladbach, beaten by Bayern in the German Cup semifinals in midweek, lost further ground in the title race as they lost 2-1 at home to Hoffenheim.
It left them six points behind Bayern and eight behind Dortmund.
Marco Reus put them ahead in the first half, but Roberto Firmino leveled for the visitors on 77 minutes.
But he earned a second yellow card for removing his shot before Boris Vukcevic earned the 10-men an unlikely win soon afterwards.
In other matches, Kaiserslautern lost 2-0 at Freiburg to remain rock bottom while Hertha Berlin stayed second bottom despite their 3-1 win at Mainz.
In Italy’s Serie A, AC Milan extended their lead to seven points with a 2-1 win over AS Roma in the San Siro Saturday.
Second-placed Juventus face a tough match against Inter in Turin Sunday as they look to close the gap.
Pablo Osvaldo put Roma ahead in the first half, but Milan were always in command and two goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic gave them victory.
Swedish star Ibrahimovic has 22 goals in Serie A this season and the win is a welcome boost for Milan ahead of their Champions League clash with Barcelona Wednesday.
