Werder Bremen beats Energie Cottbus in the Bundesliga

Soccerway - 5 May 2008 08:00

Werder Bremen delayed FC Bayern München's coronation as Bundesliga champions with a 2-0 win against FC Energie Cottbus but FC Schalke 04 were held by Hannover 96 to end their title dreams. Bayern sat 12 points clear with four games remaining heading into the weekend and could have secured the title without kicking a ball – they play at VfL Wolfsburg on Sunday – if Bremen and Schalke had both failed to win. Such a scenario appeared possible until Markus Rosenberg broke the deadlock for Thomas Schaaf's side midway through the second half and Hugo Almeida secured the points eleven minutes from time.

Third-placed Schalke's UEFA Champions League qualification ambitions suffered a setback when Arnold Bruggink gave the visitors an eighth-minute lead and although Halil Altıntop levelled before the break, the Gelsenkirchen club could not fashion a winning goal. Hamburger SV and VfB Stuttgart moved to within four points of Schalke with respective wins against FC Hansa Rostock and Eintracht Frankfurt. Ivica Olić struck in either half for Hamburg with a goal from Rafael van der Vaart sandwiched in between in their comfortable 3-1 away victory.

Home side Stuttgart had their success secured inside 18 minutes. Yıldıray Baştürk scored either side of a Mario Gómez effort to subdue Eintracht and Cacau (47) made sure of the three points. Elsewhere, DSC Arminia Bielefeld climbed four points clear of the relegation zone with a 2-0 win at home to VfL Bochum 1848 thanks to strikes in the final 20 minutes from Andrej Mijatović and Jonas Kamper while Hertha BSC Berlin were 3-1 winners against Karlsruher SC.