BERLIN: Bayern Munich ground out a hard-fought 2-0 victory over bottom side Eintracht Braunschweig on Saturday to end the champions’ three-game winless streak in the Bundesliga.

Claudio Pizarro, 35, broke the deadlock in the 75th minute, when Mario Goetze sent the Peruvian through, and Mario Mandzukic secured the win with four minutes remaining as the home side pushed for an equaliser.

Bayern failed to impress for long periods, however, and will hope for improvement in Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg at Real Madrid.

Pizarro, who has now scored against every Bundesliga club with Braunschweig the only one missing from his list prior to the game, was picked to start ahead of Bayern top scorer Mandzukic.

The choice proved key as the Bavarians’ slump in form showed for much of the game and needed the goal prowess of the league’s top foreign scorer of all time.

“It was important to win before the game against Real Madrid. It gives us confidence,” Pizarro said.

The victory leaves Bayern on 81 points and 17 points clear of second-placed Borussia Dortmund who picked up their fifth straight win and secured a Champions League spot after a 4-2 win against Mainz 05 guaranteed them a top three finish.

Milos Jojic got Dortmund underway in the sixth minute with a 20-metre shot that took a deflection from Borussia’s Oliver Kirch’s right hand.

Shinji Okazaki scored twice for Mainz to make it 2-2, his second after pouncing on a terrible back pass from Dortmund’s Nuri Sahin, with the Japanese international scoring either side of Bayern-bound Robert Lewandowski’s strike for Dortmund.

Dortmund made sure of the three points with goals by defender Lukasz Piszczek and Germany winger Marco Reus, who converted a penalty 12 minutes from time after Mainz had centre-back Niko Bungert sent off for a handball.

Former European champions Hamburg SV edged closer to their first ever Bundesliga relegation after crashing to a 3-1 defeat by visitors VfL Wolfsburg, who leapfrogged into fourth place and into Champions League contention with three games left.

Goals by Ivan Perisic, Kevin de Bruyne and Ivica Olic gave Wolves a 3-0 lead just after the break before Hamburg’s Ivo Ilicevic scored a consolation for the hosts who remain third from bottom.

Hamburg, the only side to have played every Bundesliga season since the league’s formation in 1963, remain in the relegation playoff place, but could be overtaken if Nuremberg, in 17th, win their game in hand against Bayer Leverkusen , who can reclaim fourth. Braunschweig are 18th on 25 points.

Freiburg are virtually assured of their survival as their 4-2 win at home to ten-man Borussia Moenchengladbach left them eight points above the relegation places with three games left.

Likewise, Werder Bremen are set to stay in the Bundesliga as their 3-1 win at home to Hoffenheim lifted them up to 11th and nine points from danger while mid-table Hertha Berlin and Augsburg shared the points in a goalless draw.