Bundesliga: Bremen crush Freiburg by six to go top

Werder Bremen demolished promoted Freiburg 6-0 with five goals in 27 minutes and a sparkling display of attacking football on Saturday to go top of the Bundesliga.

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Hugo Almeida of Bremen celebrates his second goal with team mates

Portuguese striker Hugo Almeida struck twice with Marko Marin and Mesut Ozil making it 4-0. Defender Naldo converted a 73rd-minute penalty before Markus Rosenberg completed the rout eight minutes from time.

Bremen, on 26 points, are top on goal difference ahead of Bayer Leverkusen, who travel to Bayern Munich on Sunday (1430 GMT).

"We played an outstanding match," Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf told reporters. "I have to congratulate my team because after the break (for international friendlies) my players quickly found their footing in this match. They just kept getting stronger."

Champions VfL Wolfsburg twice came from a goal down to level against Nuremberg, before the visitors snatched the three points with the last kick of the match.

Albert Bunjaku put the visitors ahead in the 56th minute but Ashkan Dejagah equalised within three minutes. Bunjuku restored Nurnberg's advantage in the 64th minute but Wolfsburg responded well again and levelled thanks to a Grafite penalty 10 minutes from time. But Nurnberg had the final say with Peer Kluge scoring the winner with the final touch of the game.

Schalke 04 moved into third place on 25 points with a hard-fought 2-0 win against Hanover 96, who were playing their first match since the death of their keeper Robert Enke.

Jefferson Farfan headed in the first and substitute Jan Moravek, who came on for the Peruvian striker, added a second with his first touch in stoppage time.

Hoffenheim are two points behind in fourth after defeating Cologne 4-0. The visitors came flying out of the blocks and goals from Carlos Eduardo and Chinedu Obasi put them two up after just 11 minutes. Demba Ba effectively settled the contest with a third after 46 minutes and Vedad Ibisevic completed the rout with a 90th-minute penalty.

VfB Stuttgart salvaged a 1-1 draw against bottom Hertha Berlin, piling more pressure on coach Markus Babbel as they lie in 16th place. Zdravko Kuzmanovic struck a late equaliser to secure a draw for Stuttgart after Adrian Ramos gave Hertha the lead. The Serbian was dismissed just three minutes later for a second bookable offence.

An own goal by Oka Nikolov and a Roel Brouwers strike were enough to guide Borussia Monchengladbach to their second away win of the season in the Bundesliga. Although Pirmin Schwegler scored a late penalty for Eintracht Frankfurt they could not force an equaliser as Monchengladbach moved to within a point of their hosts.

In the late kick-off, Borussia Dortmund and Mainz exchanged blows but neither was able to land the knockout as they shared a 0-0 draw at the Westfalen Stadion.

All the matches started with a minute's silence in memory of Enke, who committed suicide last week.