Bundesliga wrap: Bayern demolish Hamburg, Dortmund keep race alive

Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich recorded their 10th successive league win in style with a 9-2 destruction of sorry Hamburg on Saturday.

Claudio Pizarro was the pick of the bunch, scoring four goals, Arjen Robben bagged a brace, while Xherdan Shaqiri, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Franck Ribery also got themselves on the scoresheet as Bayern scored nine in 76 minutes.

Jeffrey Bruma and Heike Westermann restored some pride for the visitors with two late goals but it mattered little.

With just six minutes on the clock, Bayern were on the board courtesy of Shaqiri, who unleashed a brilliant left-foot shot that flew low past Rene Adler and inside the post.

Schweinsteiger headed home a second for the hosts on 20 minutes before Pizarro netted his first of the match, again from a quickly-taken corner, converting Javi Martinez’s flick on.

Pizarro was making the most of his rare start and a perfectly-timed back-heel completed an exchange with Robben, and the Dutch star did not let his side down as he fired the return into the corner of the net, giving Adler no chance to save.

A clinical move from the Bundesliga leaders left Shaqiri free in the box and, although the forward could not finish, Pizarro was on hand to tap in and put Bayern 5-0 ahead.

Bayern could have been forgiven for taking their foot off the accelerator after such an electric half, but there was no signs Hamburg would be spared further humiliation as they continued to rain in goals.

A brilliant burst from Robben down the right left Westermann standing, and his cross was turned in with a cheeky back-heel from Pizarro.

Pizarro turned provider just seconds later, chasing down Bruma deep in the Hamburg half, before unselfishly laying off to Robben, who chipped over Adler for the seventh of the evening.

Substitutes Ribery and Thomas Muller were determined to join in the festivities, and combined perfectly to tee up Pizarro for a fourth and continue the rout.

Although Bruma at least hit a consolation late on, the goal only spurred a furious Bayern to restart their offensive and hit again through Ribery.

Westermann hit for a second HSV strike, but it did little to dull the party for Bayern as they completed a sensational win.

Earlier, Borussia Dortmund denied Bayern the Bundesliga title for at least another week with a late 2-1 victory over Stuttgart.

Bayern needed Dortmund to drop points away to Stuttgart if they were to secure the 2012/13 title but with Polish right-back Lukasz Piszczek leading the way, Dortmund defeated Stuttgart at the Mercedes-Benz-Arena, where Robert Lewandowski scored the winner.

Despite seeing Marcel Schmelzer sent to hospital early in the contest, Dortmund opened the scoring through Piszczek, who latched onto Marco Reus’ 29th-minute free-kick and headed home.

In the 63rd minute, Alexandru Maxim equalised for Stuttgart when he burst into the area from the right wing and struck the ball into the far corner of the net.

But Dortmund refused to lie down and scored the decisive goal in the 82nd minute when Reus and Piszczek combined down the right before the latter crossed to Lewandowski, who easily side-footed the ball into the net.

In Duesseldorf, Stefan Kiessling and Andre Schuerrle both scored twice as Bayer Leverkusen triumphed 4-1 away to Fortuna, while Schalke smashed Hoffenheim 3-0.

In other Bundesliga results, Freiburg defeated Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-0, Mainz drew 1-1 with Werder Bremen and Hannover won 2-0 away to Augsburg.