Hamburg beats Mainz 1-0 in Bundesliga

Posted Sunday, October 17, 2010 by YAHOO Sport

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP)—The amazing run of Mainz ends in a 1-0 loss to Hamburg on a last-gasp goal on Saturday, costing Mainz the lead in the Bundesliga and its seven-win streak to start the season.

Mainz slipped to second place on goal difference behind Borussia Dortmund, which won 2-1 at Cologne on Friday to take first place for the first time in seven years.

Paolo Guerrero’s score in the 89th minute for Hamburg prevented the surprising Mainz from an eighth successive win and tying the Bundesliga record for the best season start.

“It’s not the end of the world, we have to regroup next week,” Mainz coach Thomas Tuchel said.

Elsewhere, striker Mario Gomez scored a hat trick in Bayern Munich’s 3-0 home win over Hannover, his first goals for the club in eight months.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar converted a late penalty to salvage a 2-2 draw for Schalke against bottom-place Stuttgart, Werder Bremen edged Freiburg 2-1, and St. Pauli beat Nuremberg 3-2.

Ze Roberto, who had hit the post in the first half, set up Guerrero’s goal by breaking free on the left side and slipping a short pass for the Peru striker to drill into the roof of the net.

Marco Caliguiri struck the post for Mainz and Hamburg had a score disallowed when striker Ruud van Nistelrooy was called for a foul before he headed the ball into the net.

“We lost possession too often and allowed them to be dangerous on the counterattack,” Tuchel said. “We had three or four excellent chances in the second half but then we conceded a bitter goal.”

Hamburg moved to seven points behind Dortmund and Mainz, which both have 21 points. Dortmund has won its last seven to tie the club record.

Bayern, the defending champion, cut the gap to the top to 10 points despite missing several injured regulars, including striker Miroslav Klose and Ivica Olic.

Gomez, rarely used by coach Louis van Gaal although he was Bayern’s most expensive acquisition in the club’s history, got a chance from the start and used it fully.

Gomez opened the scoring with a diving header in the 21st minute off Hamit Altintop’s cross.

His second goal in the 77th came after he swapped passes with Toni Kroos, but only after Gomez had controlled the ball with his arm at the start of the move. The referee missed it and Gomez easily faked a defender before slotting home.

“It was a clear handball,” Hannover coach Mirko Slomka said. “We may have had a chance to equalize if the goal had not been allowed but after that it was all over.”

Gomez’s third goal came in the final minute off a cross from Thomas Mueller.

“I had a good feeling before the game,” Gomez said, especially after his namesake, one of the Chilean miners, had been rescued safely.

In Gelsenkirchen, Stuttgart led twice against Schalke in Jens Keller’s debut as coach after replacing Christian Gross in midweek.

Timo Gebhart connected with a low cross to put the visiting team ahead, before Edu’s left-foot volley tied the game in the 29th. Martin Harnik scored after a quick counterattack before Huntelaar’s kick from the penalty spot in the 80th tied the game again.

The draw left Stuttgart at the bottom, but at least it ended its six-game losing streak.

Schalke moved up one place to 16th.

“Unfortunately, we did not use some very good opportunities, especially at the start of the second half,” Schalke coach Felix Magath said. “But at least we came back twice.”

In the late game, Wolfsburg hosted Bayer Leverkusen.