Bayern brush aside Bremen, Frankfurt win big
Bayern Munich put the finishing touches on a perfect week's work as they defeated Werder Bremen 4-0 on Saturday to extend their lead at the top of the German Bundesliga to 14 points.
Pep Guardiola's side made it three wins in seven days, scoring 14 goals and conceding just one, as they not only padded their lead in the domestic flight but also qualified for the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. German international striker Thomas Muller grabbed his fifth goal in a week with a left foot shot past Raphael Wolf to put the champions 1-0 in front on 24 minutes at the Weser-Stadion.
Austrian defender David Alaba then scored his second league goal of the season to cushion the advantage. Polish international Robert Lewandowski added the gloss with two late goals to round out the scoring.
Elsewhere, Eintracht Frankfurt consolidated their place in the upper half of the table with a routine 4-0 win over third-from-bottom Paderborn. Alexander Meier got the home side on track with a goal after 27 minutes before Marc Stendera, Stefan Aigner and Nelson Haedo Valdez also got on the scoresheet in a feisty afternoon encounter that featured eight yellow cards.
Mainz picked up a crucial 2-0 victory over Augsburg as they eased their relegation fears. Shinji Okazaki added to his record as the highest Japanese scorer in Bundesliga history, with the opener on 32 minutes, before former Korea Republic captain Koo Ja-cheol guaranteed the points in the final minute.
Hertha Berlin missed the chance for three valuable points as they were deprived victory in the final minute by a Joel Matip equaliser for Schalke. A see-saw match finished 2-2 in the capital.
Eugen Polanski struck either side of half-time for Hoffenheim as they boosted their European ambitions for next season with a 3-0 home win over ten-man Hamburg. Jaroslav Drobny conceded the penalty that led to a straight red card and Polanski's opener before the 28-year-old Polish midfielder helped seal the win with his second eight minutes from time. Sebastian Rudy added a third to the delight of the home fans in the final minutes.
Borussia Dortmund saw their resurgent streak stalled as they were held to a 0-0 home draw against Cologne. Jurgen Klopp's side stay tenth, but will now be focused on Wednesday's Champions League last-16 second leg against Juventus after losing the first leg 2-1 in Turin.
Cologne pick up a needed point to ease six points above the relegation zone and host Bremen next Saturday in their next league outing.