Germany round-up: Leverkusen end Stuttgart stay

VfB Stuttgart temporarily went top of the Bundesliga after they stretched their unbeaten start to ten games with a 1-0 win against VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday.

Short stay
Bayer 04 Leverkusen's slender Sunday victory against VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach meant Stuttgart's stay at the summit was short lived - but having conceded just one league goal this season, it seems likely they will challenge for the lead throughout the campaign.

Amanatidis winner
Stuttgart, who also gained first place in UEFA Champions League Group E on Wednesday with a 2-0 win against Panathinaikos FC, had Greek striker Ioannis Amanatidis to thank for their 74th-minute clincher.

Schneider strikes
Leverkusen displaced Stuttgart from top spot after a 1-0 victory against struggling Mönchengladbach. Germany midfield player Bernd Schneider scored the solitary second-half goal which put Klaus Augenthaler's side a point clear at the summit.

Bremen close in
SV Werder Bremen are third after a 4-2 win at SC Freiburg. Brazilian striker Ailton scored twice in the first 28 minutes to set Bremen on their way, and Johan Micoud added a third before the break. Alexander Iashvili pulled one back on the hour, but five minutes later Ivan Klasnic made it 4-1 to ensure Iashvili's added-time strike was only a consolation.

Bayern victory
FC Bayern München are only a further point behind after a comfortable 4-1 win against 1. FC Kaiserslautern. Sebastian Deisler scored in the opening seconds and Roy Makaay made it 2-0 on 28 minutes. Deisler added his second in the 69th minute, and although Miroslav Klose pulled one back not long after Oliver Kahn saved his penalty, Makaay doubled his personal tally ten minutes from time.

Hertha off the mark
Huub Stevens' position as Hertha BSC Berlin coach took a possible turn for the better days after being given an ultimatum by the club's board as he led the team to their first league win of the season. The 1-0 victory at new bottom side FC Hansa Rostock came courtesy of a Luizao goal on 31 minutes.

Köln fall
Eintracht Frankfurt also escaped the bottom three as they sent opponents 1. FC Köln into the relegation zone with a useful 2-0 triumph. Nico Frommer and Mehmet Dragusha scored the goals in the final half-hour.

Schalke deny Toppmöller
Klaus Toppmöller's first game in charge of Hamburger SV saw his side claim a 2-0 lead, only to draw with FC Schalke 04. Bernardo Romeo scored on 29 and 51 minutes for Hamburg, but Annibal Matellan pulled one back with 15 minutes to go and Toppmöller's hopes of victory were dashed in added time when Eduard Glieder equalised.

Quickfire equaliser
Mid-table sides Hannover 96 and TSV 1860 München played out a 1-1 draw. Mohammadou Idrissou gave Hannover a 34th-minute lead, but almost immediately Markus Weissenberger equalised. Swiss 1860 defender Remo Meyer was shown the red card for a dangerous tackle in the 72nd minute and Hanover striker Thomas Christiansen followed him for a second booking two minutes later.

Hashemian pair
In Sunday's other game, a double from Vahid Hashemian helped VfL Bochum to a stunning 3-0 victory at home against BV Borussia Dortmund, who are now six points off the pace in fifth.