Dortmund, Germany – Borussia Dortmund escaped its match at 0 win over Bayer Leverkusen to maintain its lead at the summit of the German Bundesliga.
Dortmund's 15-game unbeaten run in German league play has helped the club overtake Bayern Munch for top spot in the Bundesliga as the Black and Yellows enjoy a two-point lead over the the European giants.
The lone goal of the match came from Japanese star Shinji Kagawa as he notched his seventh goal of the campaign just before the break. A scoreless second half ensured that Kagawa's strike held up as the game-winner.
With Bayern also taking three points on Saturday, the table remains unchanged at the top as Dortmund sits in pole position with 46 points, followed closely by Bayern on 44 points.
Bayer Leverkusen has not picked up a win in its last three league outings as it remains in sixth place on 31 points.
Bayern Munich 2, Kaiserslautern 0
Munich, Germany - Bayern Munich claimed a 2-0 win over Kaiserslautern on Saturday to keep pace with Borussia Dortmund at the top of the table.
Mario Gomez and Thomas Muller provided the goals in the first half with Gomez scoring in the sixth minute and Muller breaking his goal drought in the 30th minute.
Bayern Munich sits two points adrift of Dortmund in fist place, holding down second place on 44 points. Kaiserslautern has lost two straight and sits third from bottom on 18 points.
Stuttgart 5, Hertha Berlin 0
Stuttgart, Germany - Stuttgart cruised to comfortable 5-0 victory over Hertha Berlin on Saturday as the home side appears to have banished its poor run of form.
A four-goal first half led Stuttgart to its first league win since Nov. 20 as two goals from Martin Harnik guided the Reds to a vital win.
Vedad Ibisevic and Shinji Okazaki scored a goal apiece in the first half and Levan Kobiashvili conceded an own goal in the second half to complete the rout.
Stuttgart, with 26 points, sits in ninth place, while Hertha Berlin remains just two points above the relegation zone after suffering its fourth straight loss.
Monchengladbach 3, Schalke 0
Monchengladbach, Germany - Three first-half goals powered Monchengladbach to a 3-0 win against Schalke at Borussia-Park on Saturday.
Marco Reus opened the scoring after just two minutes, Mike Hanke extended it with a goal in the 15th minute, and Juan Arango tacked on a third goal in the 32nd minute as the home side grabbed all three points in convincing fashion.
Monchengladbach maintains its third-place position in the Bundesliga as it keeps pace with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. It also climbs above fourth-place Schalke as the two sides are now separated by just two points.
Mainz 1, Hannover 1
Mainz, Germany - Hannover narrowly claimed a point at the Coface Arena on Saturday as it needed a late goal to draw 1-1 with Mainz.
The home side went in front through Mohamed Zidan after just seven minutes, but it was canceled out by Artur Sobiech's equalizer in second-half stoppage time.
Hannover preserves its unbeaten run in Bundesliga play, which is now at eight games. The club goes tied with Bayer Leverkusen on 31 points. Mainz, meanwhile, has drawn two successive league matches and sits five points above the drop zone.
Werder Bremen 1, Hoffenheim 1
Bremen, Germany - Werder Bremen struck late to salvage a point in a 1-1 draw with Hoffenheim at the Weserstadion on Saturday.
Jannik Vestergaard gave the visitors the lead in just the fourth minute, a lead that lasted until the dying moments when Bremen struck through Austrian striker Marko Arnautovic.
With four straight draws, Werder Bremen sits fifth in the table on 33 points. Hoffenheim has tied four of its last five league games and occupies a mid- table position on 25 points.