Four-goal Elber puts Bayern on title track
Brazilian Elber struck four times as Bayern Munich put their German league title chase on track by hammering Arminia Bielefeld 6-2 on Saturday.
Elber hit two goals in each half and set up another to help Bayern wake up in style a week after opening their Bundesliga campaign with a dismal goalless draw with Borussia Moenchengladbach.
Germany midfielder Michael Ballack scored his first goal since moving from Bayer Leverkusen while Peru striker Claudio Pizarro also played his part in a victory that lifted Bayern up to fourth, two points off the pace.
Promoted Bielefeld scored twice through Poland striker Artur Wichniarek and Senegal forward Mamadou Diabang but never stood a chance and were brutally brought down to earth after capturing the lead with a shock 3-0 win over Werder Bremen last Sunday.
"I'm extremely satisfied, not only with the result but also with the exciting football we came up with," said Bayern coach Ottmar Hitzfeld, whose team virtually made sure of a Champions League berth with a 3-0 win at Partizan Belgrade in the first leg of their qualifying round on Wednesday.
Bayern, who are desperate to bounce back after ending last season without any silverware for the first time since 1995, sounded a clear warning to traditional rivals Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen.
Defending champions Dortmund fought back from a goal down to draw 1-1 draw away to last season's runners-up Leverkusen on Saturday -- a result that left both teams without a win after two games and four points behind surprise leaders VfL Bochum.
Leverkusen looked in control for most of the match, opening the scoring with an angled effort from Argentine wing-back Diego Placente in the 23rd minute, but a headed goal from Dortmund's Czech striker Jan Koller on 61 minutes denied them victory.
BOCHUM IMPRESS
"We were simply too passive," Dortmund coach Matthias Sammer said after a poor show from his men. "It is obvious that we have to step up a gear."
Promoted Bochum, who had started with a 3-1 win at Nuremberg, impressed again when a hat-trick by striker Thomas Christiansen inspired them to a 5-0 thrashing of Energie Cottbus.
"We have six important points and that brings us nearer to our goal," said Bochum coach Peter Neururer, whose main aim is to avoid relegation but who would not mind another upset at Leverkusen's expense next weekend.
"I think we stand a chance against them," he said.
Bochum, who have been relegated four times over the past 10 years but always managed to make it back to the top flight, lead on goal difference from Hansa Rostock and Schalke 04 -- the only other teams with a maximum six points.
Northerners Rostock used a goal in each half from midfielder Rene Rydlewicz to send Nuremberg to the bottom of the table with a 2-0 victory while Schalke pulled off a spectacular 3-1 win at Kaiserslautern.
The Gelsenkirchen club were a goal down when they had Belgian midfielder Sven Vermant sent off for a second bookable offence in the 36th minute.
But they outclassed their hosts with 10 men, equalising courtesy of a penalty from midfielder Joerg Boehme early in the second half before sealing victory with efforts from strikers Victor Agali and Ebbe Sand.
