Hertha Berlin are set to stay in the Bundesliga next season after their 2-0 home on Sunday pushed visitors Paderborn deeper into the relegation mire.
Second-half goals by Swiss international Valentin Stocker and midfielder Nico Schulz sealed the win at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium to lift Hertha to 11th and seven points above the relegation places.
The capital city club are unbeaten in their last four games while second-from-bottom Paderborn are poised for an immediate return to the second division after five defeats and a draw in their last six games.
Bottom side Stuttgart, Paderborn and Hamburg are the sides currently in the relegation places with seven games left.
Earlier, Schalke 04 and Augsburg’s hopes of reaching next season’s Champions League suffered a setback after their goalless draw.
Roberto di Matteo’s Schalke remain fifth in the German league, eight points behind fourth-placed Leverkusen, with the top four in Germany’s top flight qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
Sixth-placed Augsburg are a point behind Schalke and are also destined to play in the Europa League next season alongside Di Matteo’s Royal Blues if they keep their current place.
Both sides had their chances at Augsburg’s SGL Arena, but the point came at a price for Schalke, who lost midfielder Leon Goretzka with a thigh injury after only 15 minutes.
The 20-year-old, who won his first cap for Germany last year, was making his first start after an injury-ravaged season.
On Saturday, Robert Lewandowski scored against his ex-club Borussia Dortmund to seal league leaders’ Bayern Munich’s 1-0 win which keeps them on course for a third straight Bundesliga title.
Lewandowski’s 35th-minute header clinched Bayern’s win which left them ten points clear at the top of the table.
Their victory underlines Bayern’s domination in Germany and came without injured stars David Alaba, Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery.
Germany captain Bastian Schweinsteiger limped off with an ankle injury and is doubtful for Wednesday’s German Cup quarter-final at Bayer Leverkusen.
Dortmund’s best chance was when Marco Reus’ second-half free-kick was superbly saved by Manuel Neuer as Borussia suffered their first league defeat since the start of February.
– Bayer, Gladbach post big wins –
Borussia Moenchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen posted big wins as the battle for third-place, and an automatic Champions League spot, intensifies.
Third-placed Gladbach enjoyed an impressive 4-1 comeback win at Hoffenheim which keeps them two-points clear of Leverkusen, who recorded a 4-0 win at home over hapless Hamburg.
Hosts Hoffenheim took the lead at home to Gladbach when forward Sven Schipplock enjoyed a simple tap-in on 17 minutes, but Gladbach proved their mettle with three goals in ten first-half minutes as winger Patrick Herrmann scored twice.
Fourth-placed Leverkusen also underlined their Champions League pedigree by putting Hamburg to the sword and are currently on course for a Champions League play-off place.
With the team third from bottom and on course for a first relegation from Germany’s top flight, Hamburg sacked Joe Zinnbauer ten days ago.
His successor Peter Knaebel could only watch as his team was thrashed as Gonzalo Castro and Stefan Kiessling both scored twice for Leverkusen.
Second-placed Wolfsburg remain seven points clear of Gladbach with a 3-1 win at home to bottom VfB Stuttgart.
Swiss midfielder Ricardo Rodriguez converted a penalty and a free-kick either side of half-time before ex-Chelsea winger Andre Schuerrle came off the bench to add their third.
Freiburg find themselves three-points clear of the relegation zone after their 1-0 win at home to Cologne while Hanover dropped to just above the bottom three with a 2-2 draw at Eintracht Frankfurt.
Hanover’s Ivory Coast striker Didier Ya Konan rescued his team with a late equaliser, his first for the north German club since his six month sojourn at Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad Jeddah.