Bremen thrash Stuttgart to escape bottom three

Berlin (AFP) – Claudio Pizarro netted and winger Fin Bartels scored twice as Werder Bremen thrashed VfB Stuttgart 6-2 on Monday to escape the Bundesliga’s bottom three with two games left.

Stuttgart drop to 17th, second from bottom in Germany’s top flight, after the rout at Bremen’s Weser Stadion, but Bremen are just a point above them in 15th, while Eintracht Frankfurt are 16th, level with VfB on 33 points.

Bremen took an early lead when Bartel netted after just 10 minutes, but Stuttgart’s Daniel Didavi slotted home from ten metres out just before the half hour mark.

Stuttgart’s Italian defender Federico Barba headed into his own net on 33 minutes, then Werder midfielder Levin Oztunali made it 3-1 by netting just before the break.

Barba made amends for his earlier error on 53 minutes when he fired home between the legs of Bremen defender Jannik Vestergaard to leave Stuttgart 3-2 behind.

But Werder made sure of te win when the 37-year-old Pizarro netted his 14th league goal of the season by firing home from 15 metres out on 64 minutes.

Bremen claimed two goals in the final ten minutes as Bartels grabbed his second on 80 minutes, then Nigeria striker Anthony Ujah came on for Pizarro and scored four minutes later.

Bremen now play Cologne away on Saturday before hosting Eintracht Frankfurt at home on the final day of the season on May 14.

Stuttgart, the 2007 German champions, are home to seventh-placed Mainz on Saturday, then play Wolfsburg away in their bid to stay up.