Bundesliga Round 31 in pictures

The weekend's Bundesliga action got started a day earlier than normal due to the observance of Good Friday. Hannover grabbed their third away win of the season in their Thursday encounter with Eintracht Frankfurt. After pulling ahead 3-1 within the first half hour, Hannover were able to sit back and hold on for the victory. Alexander Meier's second half goal made no difference - it finished 3-2.

Borussia Dortmund's streak of good form was extended on Saturday with a resounding 4-2 win over visiting Mainz. A pair of missed handball calls looked like they might be the story of the match, until Jürgen Klopp's boys ran away with things in the second half. Bayern have reason to worry at next month's German Cup final.

An encounter between already-victors Bayern Munich and last-place Eintracht Braunschweig was hardly a foregone conclusion. Thomas Lieberknecht and his side kept their Bavarian visitors, who have been stumbling of late, from registering a single shot on target in the first half. But two late goals snatched a victory for Bayern, their first in the league since March 25.

After being unlucky to go 1-0 down early against visiting Borussia Mönchengladbach, Freiburg responded brilliantly to earn a resounding 4-2 win. Things were relatively even until Granit Xhaka's ejection in the 69th minute. Freiburg immediately scored two goals - the best of them a thunderous effort by Oliver Sorg from 25 yards that will surely be a goal of the season candidate.

The crucial three points Werder Bremen earned in their 3-1 win against Hoffenheim Saturday means the northern club can rest easy - survival in the Bundesliga is secured for another season. Kevin Volland put the visitors up just three minutes into the match, but Bremen equalized fifteen minutes later and never looked back.

The scoreless midtable clash between Augsburg and Hertha Berlin was hardly exciting compared to the drama that unfolded simultaneously elsewhere in the Bundesliga. The result is of critical importance for Berlin, however. The two dropped points Saturday mean the capital club's diminishing hopes of Europea League qualification this season are now gone for good.

Things are not looking good for 16th-place Hamburg. Mirko Slomka's side desparately needed a result against visiting Wolfsburg. Instead, they were handed a 3-1 defeat. While the Wolves can start to dream of the Champions League, HSV face the increasing likelihood of a relegation playoff match, or worse.

Visiting Bayer Leverkusen dealt a blow to Nuremburg's survival chances on Sunday, running out 4-1 winners. Der Club had done well to keep things level until halftime, but after the restart Sascha Lewandowski's side surged ahead and didn't look back. Emir Spahic was the big winner of the day, with the Bosnian defender bagging a brace.

Stuttgart's resounding 3-1 win over Schalke gave the southwestern club three crucial points in their campaign for Bundesliga survival. Martin Harnik (pictured) scored twice, while ex-Germany international Cacau registered his first goal of the season. Huub Steven's side are now four points clear of the drop zone with three weeks remaining.