Bundesliga: Schalke, Hamburg continue positive runs

Schalke defeated Augsburg 3-1 on Sunday to keep pace with the Bundesliga’s top three teams, and Hamburg remain unbeaten under Thorsten Fink.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar gave Schalke the lead in the 16th minute of the match at the Veltins-Arena.

The Netherlands international back-heeled the ball home after a good move by team-mate Teemu Pukki.

Huntelaar and Lewis Holtby both missed chances to increase the lead, allowing Augsburg to level three minutes into the second half.

Sascha Moelders gathered a wayward shot from Daniel Brinkmann before beating Schalke goalkeeper Lars Unnerstall with a low shot.

At the other end, Mohamed Amsif did well to keep out Holtby and Christoph Moritz.

But the Augsburg goalkeeper appeared culpable when Christian Fuchs’ long-range shot somehow snuck under his arm and into the net, restoring Schalke’s lead on 66 minutes.

Spanish veteran Raul made sure of all three points for Schalke when he headed home from a corner with five minutes remaining.

The win sees fourth-placed Schalke remain three points back from leaders Bayern Munich.

Despite beating Wolfsburg to record just their second win of the season last week, Augsburg continue to struggle.

The promoted side are bottom of the table, four points away from safety.

In the other match on Sunday, Hamburg defeated Nuremburg 2-0 to remain unbeaten in seven matches since Michael Oenning was sacked as coach in September.

Jose Paolo Guerrero opened the scoring in the 22nd minute at the Volksparkstadion, collecting a long ball and beating defender Timmy Simons, before slotting past Nuremburg goalkeeper Raphael Schafer.

The visitors were unfortunate not to level through forward Tomas Pekhart, who struck the crossbar in the first half and then saw a shot come off the post early in the second.

Hamburg took advantage of the missed opportunities to double their lead, with Marcell Jansen the man on target in the 61st minute.

The victory, Hamburg’s second in three matches, takes them up to 11th on the table.

Nuremburg have now lost four of their last five league matches and sit 15th, just one point outside the relegation zone.