Bundesliga: Bayern Munich extend lead, Schalke earn late draw
Berlin, March 15 Bayern Munich wrapped up a commanding 4-0 victory over SV Werder Bremen thanks to Robert Lewandowski's brace, while Joel Matip's late equaliser rescued FC Schalke 04 one point against Hertha Berlin SC in the 24th round of the Bundesliga.
Bremen were able to hold the pace until the 24th minute before Bayern broke the deadlock following a fast break on Saturday.
Thomas Mueller slotted home with a left footed follow up shot from 16 meters after Bremen goalkeeper Raphael Wolf saved his first effort, reports Xinhua.
The Bavarians doubled the lead just before the break when David Alaba curled home a free kick from 17 meters at the edge of the box into the top right corner. It marked Bayern's 100th goal of the season.
The second half offered a rough game with many fouls and cards at the Weserstadion in Bremen.
Nevertheless, the brace by Lewandowski sealed the deal in the closing period. The Polish international made use of Thomas Mueller's square pass to head home the third goal for Bayern in the 76th minute.
Lewandowski was not done the scoring as he added another goal to their lead in the dying minutes of the game to round off the 4-0 win.
With the 20th victory at the 25th game of the season, Bayern stretched their lead to 14 points atop the standings. Bremen slipped to the ninth position after suffering their 10th loss.
Schalke snatched a late 2-2 draw as Joel Matip was on target in the injury time to shock the hosts at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.
Berlin marked the opener in the 21st minute when Aenis Ben-Hatira tapped in a rebound from very close range.
Schalke responded five minutes before the break when youngster Leroy Sane lobbed the ball over Berlin goalkeeper Thomas Kraft to restore parity.
Berlin grabbed the lead again in the 81st minute as Genki Haraguchi utilised a rebound to poke home the 2-1 lead.
However, Berlin dropped vital points for the relegation battle as Joel Matip headed home the 2-2 equalizer at the 90th minute.
With the draw, Schalke remain on the fifth place with 39 points while Berlin stay on the 14th position.
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim overpowered ten-men Hamburger SV 3-0 by courtesy of Eugen Polanski's brace.
The "HSV" ensured the worst possible start as goalkeeper Jaroslav Dorbny saw a straight red card in the 20th minute following a professional foul inside the box.
Hoffenheim's Eugen Polanski stepped up and converted the penalty for the opener moments later.
The decimated Hamburg were unable to pose any threat, yet Hoffenheim had to wait until the 81st minute before Polanski reaped his brace to put the result beyond doubt.
The second goal took the wind out of Hamburg's sails as Sebastian Rudy added another name to the score sheets six minutes later.
Hoffenheim remain in the seventh place while Hamburg sit on the 15th, just two points off the relegation zone.
Elsewhere, Eintracht Frankfurt crushed newly promoted SC Paderborn 07 4-0 to return into the touching distance of the international business.
FSV Mainz 05 upset FC Augsburg 2-0 thanks to the goals by Shinji Okazaki and Ja-Cheol Koo. Borussia Dortmund were held to a goalless draw by newly promoted FC Cologne.