Podolski penalty lifts Cologne from bottom

Germany striker Lukas Podolski netted a late penalty on Sunday to lift Cologne off the bottom of the Bundesliga as they beat Vfb Stuttgart 1-0 while Borussia Dortmund stay clear at the top of the league.

Cologne picked up only their third win of the season after Podolski slotted home an 82nd-minute penalty after his forward partner Milivoje Novakovic was fouled in the penalty area.

Novakovic then squandered a superb chance to score his side’s second when he went one-on-one with Stuttgart’s goalkeeper, but fired wide in the 89th-minute, as Stuttgart tried in vain to force the equaliser.

The hosts suffered only their third defeat in their last ten games, but the defeat drags them back into the bottom three in 16th, while Cologne are 17th and Borussia Moenchengladbach are now 18th and last in the league.

On Saturday, defending champions Bayern Munich were held to a 1-1 draw at Bayer Leverkusen and find themselves lagging 14 points behind Dortmund.

With the leaders earlier coming from behind to win 2-1 at Freiburg to pick up their 11th league win from 13 games, Bayern are leaving themselves a considerable gap to bridge with more than a third of the season now played.

Bayern are up to eighth in the league while Leverkusen are third.

Gomez scored a superb goal on 34 minutes before Chile striker Arturo Vidal converted a 47th minute spot-kick.

Dortmund are seven points clear of second-placed Mainz 05 after Freiburg defender Mensur Mujdza slid the ball into his own net on 78 minutes as Dortmund sealed their 11th win from 13 league games.

Mainz ended their three-game losing streak and are back up to second after they fought back with a 3-2 win over Moenchengladbach.

Schalke 04 hammered fellow Champions League side Werder Bremen 4-0 as former Spain and Real Madrid iconic striker Raul scored a hat-trick.

Schalke host leaders Lyon in Group B on Wednesday, while Bremen travel to face Tottenham Hotspur the same day in Group A, but Bremen have now lost five of their last six games.

The win leaves Schalke 14th, while Bremen are 11th and in crisis.

Hanover 96 are fourth after their 3-2 win at Hamburg and Hoffenheim are fifth after they enjoyed a 4-0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt.

Mid-table Kaiserslautern enjoyed a 3-1 win at Nuremberg.