Berlin - Two goals from Lucas Barrios helped Borussia Dortmund to a 4-1 win at neighbours VfL Bochum to climb to fourth in the German
Bundesliga on Saturday. Bottom club Hertha Berlin's hopes of survival were further dashed after a 2-1 home defeat to fellow strugglers Nuremberg who snatched the points in stoppage time through Greece striker Angelos Charisteas.
Elsewhere Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko bagged a brace as champions Wolfsburg hit four at Borussia Moenchengladbach while Mainz defeated Cologne 1-0 despite playing most of the game with 10 men.
Bayern
Munich were facing visiting Freiburg in the late kick-off hoping to regain the Bundesliga lead after Schalke 04 went top Friday evening with a 2-1 victory over VfB Stuttgart.
Dortmund swept into a two-goal lead at Bochum and then had the advantage of an extra man after the home side's Milos Maric was shown a red card in the 33rd minute for swinging an elbow.
The visitors were in front in the 18th minute when Nuri Sahin's free-kick was deflected off captain Sebastian Kehl's back and then diverted by the shoulder of defender Marcel Maltritz into goal.
A crisp shot from
Egypt striker Mohamed Zidan made it two nine minutes later, and Bochum's prospects looked even gloomier when Maric was dismissed soon afterwards for flinging his arm into the face of Jakub Blaszczykowski.
But Bochum fought back with a Lewis Holtby goal eight minutes after half-time, only for Argentinian striker Barios to put victory beyond doubt for Dortmund with goals in the 74th and 77th minutes.
The win gives Dortmund 45 points, still five behind third-placed Bayer Leverkusen, who are in action on Sunday, and nine adrift of leaders Schalke.
Mainz striker Aristide Bance was also dismissed for an elbow offence in the 27th minute against Cologne, but the 10-man home team still went on to win, courtesy of a goal in the 57th minute from Andre Schuerrle to stay seventh.
Basement side Hertha
Berlin look increasingly doomed after they squandered the lead and were punished for several missed chances in a late 2-1 defeat against Nuremberg.
The defeat leaves Hertha five points adrift of Freiburg and eight behind third-last Hanover.
Greece striker Theofanis Gekas put the home side ahead in the 36th minute but Nuremberg levelled when Swiss striker Albert Bunjaku headed in from a corner just after the hour and Charisteas added to their agony with a goal on the break two minutes into stoppage time.
Hanover edged Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 thanks to a 57th-minute winner from Sergio Pinto, three minutes after Frankfurt's Patrick Ochs was sent off for a second booking.
The visitors levelled in first-half stoppage time through Halil Altintop after Leon Andreasen had put the home side ahead in the 14th minute. Frankfurt ended the game with nine men when Maik Franz was shown a second yellow card in stoppage time.
Champions VfL Wolfsburg enjoyed a 4-0 drubbing of Borussia Moenchengladbach but stay eighth in the table, a point behind Mainz.
A long-range shot from Zvjezdan Misimovic put the visitors ahead in the 41st minute, and Edin Dzeko made it two from the penalty spot four minutes after the interval before Christian Gentner blasted in a third in the 59th and Dzeko notched his second 10 minutes from time.
Leverkusen are at home to fifth-placed SV
Hamburg on Sunday when sixth-placed Werder Bremen are at Hoffenheim.
