Werder beats Schalke to boost Bundesliga survival hopes

GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany (AP) — Werder Bremen revived its hopes of avoiding relegation Saturday with a 1-0 win over slumping Schalke, while Hertha Berlin continued its strong form since the Bundesliga restart with another victory.

Werder midfielder Leonardo Bittencourt hit a curling long-range shot into the top corner for the only goal of the game, though Schalke complained of a foul in the build-up.

Werder stays 17th and in the relegation places, but moves within three points of safety. The team has only spent one season outside the top division since the Bundesliga was founded in 1963. Schalke drops to 10th and hasn’t won a league game since January.

Hertha beat Augsburg 2-0 to make it 10 points from four games since the Bundesliga resumed in empty stadiums this month. That run has lifted the Berlin club out of the relegation battle and within four points of the Europa League places.

Wolfsburg stays sixth, in a Europa League spot, despite a 2-1 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt and is now level on points with seventh-placed Hoffenheim, which beat Mainz 1-0.

Bayern Munich hosts 16th-placed Fortuna Düsseldorf later Saturday and could go 10 points clear in its hunt for an eighth consecutive German title.

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