Poland striker Robert Lewandowski netted twice for Borussia Dortmund in their 3-1 win over Hanover on Sunday to put them four points clear of Bayern Munich who beat Schalke 2-0.
Lewandowski has now scored 16 goals this season and is closing in on the league’s joint top-scorers Bayern’s Mario Gomez and Schalke’s Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, who have 18 each.
At a sold-out Signal Iduna Park stadium in front of 80,500 fans, this was Dortmund’s seventh straight victory – and their sixth in the Bundesliga – to leave them on 52 points, four clear of second-placed Bayern.
The 23-year-old Lewandowski slotted home his first on 27 minutes and then enjoyed a simple tap in from close-range after he was set up by Poland team-mate Jakub Blaszczykowski, who created all three goals, on 54 minutes.
Hanover pulled a goal back when Ivory Coast striker Didier Ya Konan, who had been on the field less than a minute, fired home from 35 metres on 60 minutes having spotted Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller off his line.
Dortmund substitute Ivan Perisic hit his team’s third in the 92nd minute as Hanover suffered a first defeat in 10 games.
Earlier France winger Franck Ribery scored Bayern’s goals as they bounced back from their shock defeat at Basel with victory over Schalke.
Bayern suffered a 1-0 defeat in Switzerland on Wednesday in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 clash and the result dented their already creaking confidence.
The defeat came on the back of a goalless draw at the Bundesliga’s bottom team Freiburg the previous Saturday, but Ribery helped restore some confidence with an impressive display.
“It’s not easy for us at the moment, this was a good result and we showed we are still up there,” said Ribery.
“We have to take our chances now and hope Dortmund slip up.”
With Germany hosting France in a pre-Euro 2012 friendly on Wednesday, Ribery served French coach Laurent Blanc with a timely reminder of his talents.
The three points sees Bayern swap places with Borussia Moenchengladbach who were held 1-1 at improving Hamburg on Friday while Schalke are fourth.
Ribery struck first in the 36th minute when Luiz Gustavo poached the ball from Marco Hoeger and then chipped the ball through to the Frenchman.
With a deft touch, Ribery flipped the ball out of reach of Schalke’s ex-Germany goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand and then rolled the ball into the empty net for a superb individual goal.
Hildebrand made an excellent reflex save to deny Bayern’s Thomas Mueller from point-blank range moments later.
Schalke midfielder Joel Matip squandered a great chance when he fired wide of an empty goal with Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer beaten just two minutes after the break.
Ribery made it 2-0 when he played a one-two with Mueller and slotted home from inside the penalty area after the ball took a deflection off Schalke defender Kyriakos Papadopoulos on 55 minutes to cap a fine display.
