Bundesliga wrap: Hannover, Mainz keep pace with leaders

Hannover and Mainz kept the pressure on the Bundesliga leaders on Saturday as both sides recorded hard-fought away wins.

Hannover had an 89th minute header from defender Christian Schulz to thank for their 1-0 victory over St Pauli, a result that temporarily lifts them into third place on the table ahead of Bayern Munich’s clash with league leaders Borussia Dortmund later on Saturday.

A 2-1 win over Hoffenheim ensures Mainz remain in fifth spot on the table.

Mainz took the lead through Andreas Ivanschitz at Rhein-Neckar-Arena, but the hosts looked to have salvaged a share of the spoils when David Alaba equalised seven minutes from time.

Enter Elkin Soto, and the Colombian midfielder secured all three points for Mainz just two minutes later when he found himself on the end of a Marcel Risse cross to fire home the winner.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Cologne moved five points clear of the relegation zone with a surprise 1-0 win over Freiburg thanks to a Lukas Podolski goal.

Relegation battlers Kaiserslautern claimed a valuable point at home with a 1-1 draw against Hamburg, while Schalke and Nuremberg also drew 1-1 when Raul cancelled out Jens Hegeler’s opener for the visitors.