German striker Miroslav Klose helped fire Werder Bremen back up to second in the Bundesliga while table toppers Schalke took another step toward winning the league title.

After rivals VfB Stuttgart leapt into second on Saturday, with a 2-1 win against Hanover, Bremen re-claimed their place behind leaders Schalke 04 after Klose scored his third goal in four days.

Having netted twice in Bremen's UEFA Cup win over AZ Alkmaar last Thursday night to break his 907-minute goal drought, the 2006 World Cup's Golden Boot winner opened the scoring at Dortmund as his side kept the pressure on Schalke.

"For any forward, it's always good to score a few goals," said Klose. "That will keep the pressure off me now for the next few weeks. It always puts a smile on your face when the goals go flying in."

Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf paid tribute to his side's hard-working performance so soon after booking their UEFA Cup semi-final berth.

"The fact the players delivered a performance of that quality after the UEFA Cup game on Thursday is a huge compliment to them," Schaaf said. "We probed their defense for weaknesses, took our time and we were rewarded with two well-taken goals."

The defeat leaves Dortmund just one place above the relegation zone.

Bayern focused on Bundesliga

After the disappointment of their Champions League exit last Wednesday at the hands of AC Milan, Bayern Munich showed they are still in the hunt for their 21st German title after a 2-1 win against Bayer Leverkusen.

But goal-scorer Roy Makaay revealed the German giants endured a nervous final 30 minutes as the ghosts of their Milan defeat came back to haunt them.

"After Woronin's equaliser we started to rush things a bit and in the last 15 minutes there was nothing left in the tank," he said. "We are still feeling the disappointment of defeat last Wednesday."

Bayern midfielder Mark van Bommel said his team was ready to watch the league title be decided in the final week.

"We have shown our rivals that we have the necessary stamina to take the Bundesliga title down to the wire," said van Bommel, who scored the Bavarian's first goal.

Bayern wrapped up the points three minutes into the second-half when Hasan Salihamidzic slid a pass into the feet of striker Makaay who buried his shot past the diving Adler to make it 2-0.

Leverkusen's Ukrainian striker Andrey Voronin, who picked up a yellow card earlier in the game, scored to put his side back in contention, against the run of play, on the hour mark, only for Van Bommel to hit the post moments later.

Hope fading for Mainz

Bundesliga leaders Schalke looked impressive in Mainz, with Kevin Kuranyi scoring the first and setting up Gerald Asamoah and Lincoln for the others in another step towards the first title in 49 years.

Coach Mirko Slomka spoke of "a milestone" and Asamoah was also upbeat.

"We will make if we continue playing like this," he said.

Mainz are in the drop zone with Arminia Bielefeld, 4-2 losers at home against Eintracht Frankfurt, and Borussia Mönchengladbach, who appear beyond hope seven points away from safety after a 1-0 home defeat against SV Hamburg.

Energie Cottbus defeated VfL Wolfsburg 3-0, Nuremberg edged Alemannia Aachen 1-0, and Hertha Berlin got their first win in nine games, 3-1 at VfL Bochum.