Streak ends
October 16, 2010
Hamburg handed Mainz their first loss of the season with a 1-0 defeat at home on Saturday, bumping the team from the top of the Bundesliga soccer table.
After an earlier Hamburg goal was disallowed, striker Paolo Guerrero waited until the game's closing moments to score the winning goal, knocking one in at the 89th minute.
The loss cost Mainz their Bundesliga lead as they dropped behind Borussia Dortmund on goal difference. Both teams now have 21 points from seven games, following Dortmund's 2-1 win at Cologne Friday night.
Bayern Munich back on track
Meanwhile, reigning champions Bayern Munich shook off their recent losing streak to take down Hanover 3-0.
With many of Bayern's top players out of commission with injuries, including Franck Ribery, Miroslav Klose and captain Mark van Bommel, and Bastian Schweinsteiger starting the game on the bench, the game was left to Mario Gomez.
The striker didn't disappoint, scoring the opening goal in the 21st minute, his first in the Bundesliga in 13 matches since February. He followed that up with another two goals in the second half, giving Bayern the game and 11 points, placing them in ninth place.
Schalke and Stuttgart still struggling
Saturday's other games saw Schalke 04 draw 2-2 at home against Stuttgart, Werder Bremen beat Freiburg 2-1 and St. Pauli defeated Nuremberg 3-2.
Bayer Leverkusen moved into third place beating Wolfsburg 3-2. Leverkusen turned around a two-goal deficit to score three goals in the final 18 minutes.
On Sunday Kaiserslautern will take on Eintracht Frankfurt at home and Borrussia Moenchengladbach will travel to Hoffenheim.
Author: Martin Kuebler (AFP, dpa, Reuters)
Editor: Andreas Illmer