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Bayern slump as Stuttgart march on
BERLIN, Germany (Reuters) -- Two goals from Germany striker Kevin Kuranyi helped VfB Stuttgart jump back to the top of the Bundesliga with a 4-1 win over SC Freiburg while champions Bayern Munich slumped to a 2-0 defeat at Schalke 04. Substitute striker Christian Tiffert and Belarus midfielder Alexander Gleb also struck for the southerners, who scored three goals within three minutes to move two points clear of leaders Bayer Leverkusen, who visit Kaiserslautern on Sunday. Bayern are fourth, six points adrift. It is a worrying time for the German giants, who needed a shootout to move past second division Nuremberg in a German Cup tie on Tuesday. By contrast, Stuttgart, surprise runners-up last term, are the only team undefeated 11 games into the season. Manager Juup Heynckes certainly came out on top against former employers Bayern Munich, who played with ten men for almost an hour following the dismissal of Schalke old boy Thomas Linke. Heynckes won the German title at Bayern in 1989 and 1990, but put a huge dent in their challenge this season as Schalke continue to hold the Indian sign over Bayern at home. Ottmar Hitzfeld's side have yet to win at Schalke's stadium and have now lost their last four matches in Gelsenkirchen. A capacity crowd of 61,000 at Schalke saw a heated encounter with a questionable penalty decision just after the quarter hour mark moving the mercury further up the thermometer. Niels Oude Kamphuis tumbled somewhat dramatically to coerce a penalty decision from the referee, enraging goalkeeper Oliver Kahn and the Bayern defenders. Tomasz Hajto stepped up and rammed the ball home from the spot to turn up the decibel levels at the Arena Auf Schalke. It got worse for Bayern when 33-year-old Linke, a heroic member of Schalke's winning 1997 UEFA Cup team, was ordered to take an early bath shortly after the half hour mark for violent conduct. It left ten-man Bayern to overcome a numerical disadvantage and a goal deficit. Schalke held firm and clinched the three points with Oude Kamphuis scoring late on as Bayern tired. Bayern's latest setback will boost realistic title contenders Stuttgart, who were indebted to the dismissal of Freiburg's Andreas Zeyer for their 4-1 triumph. Locked 1-1 at the interval visitors Freiburg pressed the self-destruct button on 58 minutes as Zeyer picked up a second booking and was sent off. Hosts Stuttgart made them pay the ultimate price netting three goals in the next seven minutes. Goals from Tiffert (62), Belarus star Hlleb (64) and Kuranyi with his second on 65 minutes, ensured a comfortable win. Another coach who enjoyed a successful return against his former team was Jurgen Rober whose VfL Wolfsburg side routed Hertha Berlin 3-0. Rober coached in the German capital for five years and watched with glee as goals from record nine-million-euro signing Andres D'Alessandro and a Diego Klimowicz double sunk Hertha. Berlin boss Huub Stevens could only watch on from the stands as part of his two-game touchline ban. Copyright 2003 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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