Bayern beat Hertha to revive title hopes

BERLIN, Mar 3 (Reuters) Bayern Munich tuned up for their Champions League showdown against Real Madrid next week and climbed back into the Bundesliga championship race with a 3-2 victory at Hertha Berlin today.

Hasan Salihamidzic, Lukas Podolski and Roy Makaay scored in front of a sell-out crowd of 75,400 at Berlin's Olympic Stadium to end Bayern's five-match away losing streak in the Bundesliga.

Their second straight victory lifted the defending champions to within six points of faltering leaders Schalke 04, who remain on 49 points after losing at home to Hamburg SV yesterday.

Werder Bremen jumped from third to second on 46 points with a 3-0 win over VfL Bochum, moving in front of VfB Stuttgart, who were beaten 3-1 by Bayer Leverkusen.

German international Podolski, enjoying an upturn in form since the arrival of coach Ottmar Hitzfeld, played a part in all three Bayern goals.

Hertha keeper Christian Fiedler just managed to get his hand to Podolski's sharp header from a Willy Sagnol corner in the 30th minute but Salihamidzic was alert to tap in the rebound.

Less than a minute later Podolski doubled Bayern's lead, slamming a superb low volley past Fielder into the right corner.

It was his third league goal for Bayern.

After Hertha's Christian Jimenez outjumped Bayern defender Philipp Lahm and knocked his header past Oliver Kahn in the 58th minute to cut Bayern's lead to 2-1, it was Podolski who once again jolted his team mates back to life.

He set up Bayern's third goal by slipping a perfect through ball to Makaay, who beat Fielder with a crisp low shot in the 68th minute.

Hertha made it 3-2 eight minutes from time with a goal from defender Dick van Burik but Bayern held on for the win. Hertha defender Josip Simunic was sent off in injury time after lunging at Bastian Schweinsteiger.

REUTERS SY BST2304