BERLIN (AP) - Werder Bremen beat Energie Cottbus 2-0 Saturday to delay Bayern Munich's 20th Bundesliga title celebrations for at least another day.
Bayern plays at VfL Wolfsburg on Sunday in a match that could clinch the club a 21st title - including a 1931-32 championship before the Bundesliga was formed.
Even a loss Sunday won't help Bremen much.
Bremen trails by nine points with three more rounds to play and is 18 behind on goal difference. The focus now is to hold second and a guaranteed Champions League berth.
"Everybody could see we wanted to win this game, we deserved it," Bremen midfielder Torsten Frings said. "We need to win our remaining games to make sure we keep second."
Bremen pulled two points clear of third-placed Schalke, which was eliminated from the title hunt with a 1-1 draw against Hannover 96.
For much of the game against Cottbus, Bremen appeared to have the same scoring difficulties that have plagued it all season. Despite a 17-2 advantage in chances and 9-2 in corners, it couldn't find the net.
"We attacked nonstop for 90 minutes - unfortunately the team didn't take advantage of its possibilities," Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf said.
Schaaf was rewarded when he inserted two new forwards after the interval. Rosenberg scored inside the left post on Torsten Fring's deflected cross and an unmarked Almeida hit in another cross from Tim Borowski.
Schalke trailed early when Arnold Bruggink's eighth-minute free kick went through a crowd of players. In the 40th, Halil Altintop leveled with a chip shot over goalkeeper Robert Enke.
This was the first setback for Schalke interim coaches Mike Bueskens and Youri Mulder after two wins since taking over the team.
"Everything was rosy when we beat Hamburg last week. Now it's supposed to be pitch black?" Bueskens said. "We picked up a point, we will see what that is worth at the end of the season."
Fifth-place VfB Stuttgart kept alive its hopes for one of the league's three Champions League spots with a 4-1 win against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Mario Gomez scored his 16th goal in the sixth minute, while Yildiray Basturk had a pair and Cacau scored the fourth in the 47th.
Bayern is first with 66 points, Bremen second with 57 and Schalke has 55. Hamburger SV and Stuttgart with 51, and Bayer Leverkusen with 48 and a game in hand against MSV Duisburg on Sunday, are still in the hunt for a Champions League place.
Also Saturday, it was: Hansa Rostock 1, Hamburg 3; Arminia Bielefeld 2, VfL Bochum 0; and Hertha Berlin 3, Karlsruher SC 1. On Friday, Borussia Dortmund and FC Nuremberg drew 0-0.
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