Hamburg and Hertha miss chance to challenge league leaders

Marcell Jansen gave Hamburg an early lead but Gojko Kacar equalized for the visitors midway through the second half to leave Wolfsburg the winners of the weekend thanks to a 4-0 win over Hoffenheim on Saturday.

With just four matches to go, Wolfsburg have 60, three clear of champions Bayern Munich, who beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-1. Hertha move up to third on 56 points, followed by VfB Stuttgart and Hamburg on 55 points.

Although Hertha started the brighter, it was Hamburg who drew first blood when Jansen steered Ivica Olic's cross from the left into the far corner.

Despite the early lead, Martin Jol's side failed to take control and instead it was the visitors who continued to eke out the better chances in a flat-paced game.

Marc Stein tested Frank Rost in the Hamburg goal with a shot from distance while Rost also did well to turn away a Cicero header on 32 minutes.

Jansen registered Hamburg's first decent chance of the second period on 51 minutes with a header but Jaroslav Drobny saved well.

Hertha equalized out of nothing on 66 minutes when Kacar smashed the ball home from 28 metres out.

In a frantic finale, Olic saw a shot saved by Drobny, who also pulled off a fantastic reflex save from Joris Mathijsen to ensure a point for Hertha.

Milivoje Novakovic was the hero for Cologne against Bremen, tapping in the only goal of the game at the far post after 66 minutes. The win moves Cologne nine points clear of the relegation zone.

In other matches played Saturday, Schalke's hopes of qualifying for next season's Europa Cup received a setback as they were beaten 2-1 at home by Bayer Leverkusen. Karlsruhe missed out on an opportunity of improving their chances of avoiding relegation, as they were held to a goalless draw by fellow strugglers Energie Cottbus. Borussia Dortmund won 2-0 at Eintracht Frankfurt.

On Friday, Hanover 96 virtually guaranteed themselves a place in the Bundesliga next season as they won 2-0 at VfL Bochum.