Brazilian midfielder Ze Roberto scored a second-half equalizer as 10-man Bayern Munich came from behind to draw 1-1 with Hamburg on Sunday and open a four-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga.
With second-placed Werder Bremen losing in Frankfurt the day before, Bayern's draw at their Allianz Arena gives them 44 points and puts some space between themselves and the chasing pack.
Bayern fell behind on the hour when Brazilian defender Lucio lost possession on the edge of the penalty area and Czech midfielder David Jarolim fed striker Ivica Olic to fire home his tenth league goal of the season.
PHOTO: EPA
The home side levelled when French star Franck Ribery, back after a three week absence with a hamstring injury, slid a pass to Ze Roberto to score on 66 minutes.
"It was frustrating to concede a goal through one of our mistakes, it was a gift for them," Bayern coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said. "We had our opportunities to score, but we wasted them, so in the end we have to be happy with the draw."
There was drama in the game's dying stages when Bayern's Dutch midfielder Mark van Bommel was shown a red card for making an obscene gesture at the referee after being shown a yellow card seconds before for time wasting.
Bayern's title rivals Bremen stumbled on Saturday when midfielder Diego was sent off as his side lost 1-0.
Two of the Bundesliga's struggling sides, VfB Stuttgart and Duisburg, both boosted their flagging league positions with wins.
Defending champions VfB Stuttgart picked up their second consecutive win with a 3-1 victory at home to Karlsruhe.
Also on Sunday, relegation candidates Nuremberg and Energie Cottbus drew 1-1.
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