Werder beats Schalke to boost Bundesliga survival hopes

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 Bundesliga restart with ar victory.

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

Werder stays 17th and in relegation places, but moves within three points of safety. team has only spent one season outside top division since 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 Bundesliga resumed in empty stadiums this month. That run has lifted Berlin club out of relegation battle and within four points of Europa League places.

Wolfsburg stays sixth, in a Europa League spot, despite a 2-1 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt and is w 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.