In the seventh minute, three Bremen defenders lost a gamble on offsides, leaving Franca clear and the Brazilian rifled in a downfield pass to trigger the rout.
"I think we had too many parties this week," Bremen manager Klaus Allofs said.
Right after the match, Germany coach Rudi Voeller handed Bremen captain Frank Baumann the title plate, setting off a roar from the spectators amid confetti shot from two canons.
Bremen's Ailton scored his 28th goal during the match, all but assuring the Brazilian will be the Bundesliga scoring champion.
In other key matches, Dortmund beat Moenchengladbach 3-1 to move past Bochum into fifth and the final UEFA Cup berth. Bochum was stunned 3-2 by Frankfurt, which is desperately trying to avoid demotion.
Hertha Berlin also insured that it will stay in the league by drawing 1-1 against 1860 Munich.
FRENCH LEAGUE
Lyon virtually locked up its third consecutive French title despite a 1-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain, as top rival Monaco suffered a humiliating defeat at home.
After Saturday's round, the two-time champion had 76 points, three more than PSG, while Monaco fell to third at 72. To win the division in next week's final round, PSG needs to beat Bastia by at least 14 goals and Lyon must lose -- an unlikely outcome.
For Lyon's coach and many of the team's fans who invaded the Paris pitch after the match, the league title is all but sealed up.
Monaco, which is headed to the Champions League final against Porto on May 26, suffered an embarrassing 4-1 loss at home against Rennes and missed its chance to catch Lyon.
For PSG, Portuguese striker Pedro Pauleta took his tally to 17 goals on the season, scoring an easy goal in the 6th minute against Lyon.
In Monaco, Swiss forward Alexander Frei shot past Monaco goalkeeper Flavio Roma off a pass by Olivier Monterrubio for his 17th goal of the season.
A minute later, Spanish international Fernando Morientes equalized. He was pulled out at halftime due to an ankle injury.
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