Makaay and Bayern on song again, Ismael makes amends for Bremen

Berlin's Brazilian striker Marcelinho (L) celebrates with teammate Andreas Neuendorf after scoring the 0-1 goal against Hanover during their 22nd day Bundesliga football match in Hanover.

German champions Bayern Munich followed up their 1-1 Champions League draw against Real Madrid in midweek with a 2-0 victory over VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday that keeps the heat on leaders Werder Bremen.

Werder recorded a 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund at the Weserstadion to maintain their seven-point lead at the top of the table with Frenchman Valerien Ismael and Brazilian goal robot Ailton on target.

Brimming with confidence in the wake of a sterling display against Madrid, Bayern took on the less glamorous Wolfsburg in front of 30,000 fans at the Olympic Stadium.

Dutch international Roy Makaay continued his hot streak in front of goal opening the scoring with just 11 minutes gone with an unstoppable right-footed drive marking his 13th goal of the campaign.

Despite falling behind Wolfsburg were far from intimidated - remembering their 3-2 win over Bayern this season - and surged forward with Argentine record signing Andres D'Alessandro in fine form.

However, Bayern struck the killer blow on 76 minutes when 20-year-old Bastian Schweinsteiger, replacing the injured Owen Hargreaves, curled home a second goal after the Wolfsburg defence allowed him an eternity to pick his spot.

"We used the momentum from the Real Madrid game well," declared Bayern manager Ottmar Hitzfeld. "I was particularly pleased for Bastian Schweinsteiger who rounded off a great game with the second goal."

After losing 2-1 to Borussia Dortmund at the Westfalen Stadium, Werder Bremen were fired up for revenge and ended Borussia's three-game winning streak with a 2-0 home triumph.

"It was a tough game just like we expected," explained Bremen chief Thomas Schaaf. "After taking the lead we became more assured and it calmed our nerves. We deserved the win all in all."

In a twist of fate Frenchman Valerien Ismael broke the deadlock with his deflected free-kick deceiving compatriot Guillaume Warmuz in the Dortmund goal.

Defender Ismael had scored an own goal to gift Dortmund a 2-1 win at the Westfalen Stadium - one of only two losses for Werder this term.

Brazilian Ailton eased the tension four minutes from time rifling home a left-footed shot for his 20th goal of the season.

Dortmund's woes were completed when Czech playmaker Tomas Rosicky was carried off with what looked like a broken arm near the end of the encounter.

It now looks like a two-horse title race after VfB Stuttgart's ineptitude in front of goal saw them fall further off the pace after a 0-0 draw with Schalke 04 at the Gottlieb-Daimler Stadium.

After failing to find the back of the net in Wednesday's 1-0 Champions League defeat by Chelsea, Stuttgart left their shooting boots at home once again against a resilient Schalke.

"We did not put our opponents under pressure," bemoaned Stuttgart coach Felix Magath. "We have no confidence at the moment and have to be happy with the point."

Five goals in nine matches underline why Felix Magath's team have slipped out of the title race with Bayern five points ahead in second while leaders Bremen hold a 12-point cushion.

Meanwhile, Klaus Toppmoller enjoyed a successful return against former club Bayer Leverkusen as his SV Hamburg outfit ran out 3-1 winners at the AOL Arena.

A first half goal fest clinched the win for Hamburg with Nico Hoogma, Mehdi Mahdavikia and Bernardo Romeo all piercing the Leverkusen defence inside the first 36 minutes.

The win was sweet revenge for Toppmoller after Leverkusen dispensed with his services shortly after he guided them to the 2002 Champions League final.

Leverkusen have not won any of their five league outings since the winter break and are sliding at an alarming rate.

Hertha Berlin's Brazilian striker Marcelinho picked an opportune moment to score his first goals of the season with his brace securing a 3-1 win over Hannover on Sunday.

Marcelinho, topscorer for Hertha with 14 goals last term, struck on 41 and 81 minutes to help guide the capital side out of the bottom three.

German league table after Sunday's matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, against, points):

Note: Kaiserslautern deducted three points for illegal payments to avoid tax