Hamburg thrash Stuttgart
Hamburg striker Ivica Olic smashed a first-half hat-trick as his side hammered 10-man VfB Stuttgart 4-1 to go third as Bundesliga league leaders Bayern Munich extended their lead.
Bayern had to come from behind to win 2-1 at strugglers VfL Bochum, which puts them six points clear, but Saturday's shock of the day was at Hamburg's HSH Nordbank Arena as defending Bundesliga champions Stuttgart were demolished.
Olic needed just 28 minutes to complete his hat-trick before Dutch defender Joris Mathijsen's well-timed header made it four on 59 minutes until Stuttgart's Serdar Tasci grabbed a consolation goal on 73 minutes.
"We were very good in the first half," said Hamburg coach Huub Stevens.
This was Stuttgart's eighth defeat in 11 games to leave them 13th in the league, while Hamburg are now up to third.
At Bochum, the home side took an early lead over Bayern when German under-21 striker Dennis Grote gave the hosts a surprise lead on 11 minutes.
The German giants were back on level terms after 35 minutes when French star Franck Ribery equalised with a deft touch as he flicked striker Miroslav Klose's pass past diving Bochum 'keeper Jan Lastuvka.
And German international Bastian Schweinsteiger came off the bench to seal the win with a strike on 78 minutes.
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