BERLIN, Nov 27 (AFP/GNA) - Bayern Munich surged six points clear at the Bundesliga summit with a 2-1 win over Mainz 05 on Saturday at the Allianz Arena.
It was Bayern's 12th win in their first 14 matches, a record Bundesliga start, and it could prove a decisive one in the title race with Werder Bremen losing 2-1 at Schalke 04.
SV Hamburg moved two points ahead of Bremen with David Jarolim scoring an 82nd minute winner to secure a 1-0 victory at Bayer Leverkusen.
Hamburg, who are the only team to defeat Bayern this season, lie six points behind the 19-time German champions.
"We have played twice in three days and my players deserve a lot of credit to bounce back from Thursday's UEFA Cup defeat (at Monaco)," declared Hamburg coach Thomas Doll.
Peruvian international Claudio Pizarro scored both goals for Bayern in their 2-1 win over Mainz taking his tally to five in his last three matches.
After 28 minutes Dutch target-man Roy Makaay fed an inch perfect pass across the penalty area for Pizarro to open the scoring.
However, the lead lasted just five minutes as Benjamin Auer ended a solo run with a dipping shot that left Oliver Kahn with no chance.
Pizarro restored Bayern's lead again on 55 minutes with his second goal of the match and Mainz could not respond again.
"It was not a vintage performance and Mainz made us tremble until the final minute," admitted Bayern coach Felix Magath. "We should have scored more goals in the first half and wrapped the game up."
German international Michael Ballack, who is out of contract at the end of the season, was absent through injury once again but statistics prove Bayern can do without him.
Since Magath took charge Ballack has missed 18 games and Bayern have won 17 and drawn one.
Schalke against Bremen was the undoubted game of the weekend and German international Kevin Kuranyi was the hero scoring both goals as Schalke won 2-1.
With 95 seconds gone Bremen's Brazilian defender Naldo played a blind pass back towards goalkeeper Andreas Reinke but Kuranyi pounced on the underhit pass to roll the ball home.
Without injured forwards Miroslav Klose and Ivan Klasnic, who have scored 22 goals between them this season, Bremen fans may have feared the worst but replacement Nelson Haedo Valdez came up trumps.
Paraguayan international Valdez equalised after 55 minutes with a bullet header from Johan Micoud corner.
"We equalised and then stopped playing," said Bremen handler Thomas Schaaf. "We were too passive and our defending needs improvement that is for sure."
But Kuranyi had the final say with another tap in on 64 minutes after Reinke found Levan Kobiaschvili's initial shot too hot to handle.
Midfielder Torsten Frings was sent off nine minutes from the end for a second caution as Bremen's frustrations boiled over.
"We played well and took our chances," said Kuranyi. "We have closed in on the teams at the top now and that is important."
Schalke close to within four points of third-placed Bremen with the win improving their chances of netting one of the three Champions League spots.
Down at the bottom Wolfgang Wolf had a nightmare first match in charge of basement side Kaiserslautern tasting a 5-1 defeat at Hannover.
Former German international Michael Tarnat scored a rare double to leave Kaiserslautern rooted to the foot of the 18-strong Bundesliga.
Fortunately for Wolf Borussia Dortmund beat basement rivals FC Nuremberg 2-1 with Turkish prodigy Nuri Sahin scoring his first ever Bundesliga goal for Dortmund.
Earlier in the season Sahin became the youngest player to grace the Bundesliga at the age of 16 years and 335 days and his goal means he is the youngest player to ever score in the Bundesliga at the age of 17 and 82 days.
Elsewhere heavy snowfall forced MSV Duisburg to cancel their home match against FC Cologne with police claiming the extreme conditions were not safe for the fans travelling to the stadium.