BERLIN, Nov 24 (Reuters) – Striker Mario Gomez was on target in his first league appearance since surgery in August as Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich crushed Hanover 96 5-0 and extended their advantage at the top to nine points.

Superb first-half goals from Javi Martinez and Toni Kroos and another from Frenchman Franck Ribery gave the hosts a 3-0 lead at the break.

BERLIN, Nov 22 (Reuters) – It will be a family affair when Werder Bremen travel to VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday and Bremen’s iconic sports director Klaus Allofs links up once again with former Werder stalwarts Diego and Naldo having switched sides only last week.

What would have otherwise been an ordinary league match has become an emotional encounter for the new Wolfsburg sports director as well as playmaker Diego and central defender Naldo, who won league and Cup titles at the Weser stadium.

BERLIN (Reuters) – Borussia Dortmund could be forgiven for daring to dream of Champions League glory after clinching top spot in arguably the competition’s toughest group with a 4-1 thrashing of Ajax Amsterdam on Wednesday.

The visitors were ruthless against Ajax, scoring three times in a superbly efficient first half for their biggest ever win in the competition to secure top spot in Group D ahead of nine-times European champions Real Madrid with a game to spare.

BERLIN, Nov 22 (Reuters) – Borussia Dortmund could be forgiven for daring to dream of Champions League glory after clinching top spot in arguably the competition’s toughest group with a 4-1 thrashing of Ajax Amsterdam on Wednesday.

The visitors were ruthless against Ajax, scoring three times in a superbly efficient first half for their biggest ever win in the competition to secure top spot in Group D ahead of nine-times European champions Real Madrid with a game to spare.

BERLIN (Reuters) – Bayern Munich advanced to the Champions League knockout stage after their 1-1 draw in Valencia on Tuesday but the Bundesliga leaders will have to wake up and rediscover top form if they are to banish the memories of last season’s collapse.

Bayern played for almost an hour with an extra man after Valencia’s Antonio Barragan was sent off in the 33rd minute but trailed 1-0 until Thomas Mueller’s 82nd minute equaliser.

BERLIN, Nov 21 (Reuters) – Bayern Munich advanced to the Champions League knockout stage after their 1-1 draw in Valencia on Tuesday but the Bundesliga leaders will have to wake up and rediscover top form if they are to banish the memories of last season’s collapse.

Bayern played for almost an hour with an extra man after Valencia’s Antonio Barragan was sent off in the 33rd minute but trailed 1-0 until Thomas Mueller’s 82nd minute equaliser.

BERLIN, Nov 19 (Reuters) – German football is struggling to contain growing violence with newly released 2011/12 season figures on Monday hitting a 12-year-high despite a financial boom and the world’s highest average match attendance.

The police report said the 2011/12 season had the highest number of criminal proceedings in 12 years, almost double the amount of injured fans and a more than 20 percent rise in police work hours from the previous season.

BERLIN, Nov 17 (Reuters) – Bayern Munich’s stellar run may have come to a halt with a 1-1 draw at lowly Nuremberg but the Bundesliga leaders still managed to extend their advantage to eight points after Schalke 04 lost 2-0 at Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.

The Bavarians, who had won 10 of their 11 league games this season, paid the price for a string of big name absences and a desire by coach Jupp Heynckes to rotate ahead of next week’s Champions League clash against Valencia.

BERLIN, Nov 17 (Reuters) – Bayern Munich’s stellar Bundesliga run came to a halt when they drew 1-1 at lowly Nuremberg but the Bundesliga leaders still managed to extend their advantage at the top to eight points.

The Bavarians, who had won 10 of their 11 league games this season, paid the price for a string of big name absences and a desire by coach Jupp Heynckes to rotate ahead of next week’s Champions League clash against Valencia.

BERLIN (Reuters) – Elections for the presidency of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) later this month must be fair and transparent to allow the world’s second most populous nation to tap its sports potential, the IOC said on Thursday.

The run-up to the IOA vote has been mired in controversy with beleaguered president Suresh Kalmadi bowing to pressure in October and not seeking re-election.