by Phil Seery
BERLIN - Schalke 04 underlined their title credentials with a 1-0 home win over title rivals Bayern Munich on Sunday to establish a three point lead at the Bundesliga summit.
Brazilian midfielder Lincoln scored the all-important goal after 69 minutes curling a delicious free-kick past Munich keeper Oliver Kahn to settle an evenly-contested duel at the Arena Auf Schalke.
"That is certainly the most important goal I have scored for Schalke," said Lincoln.
"I practice free-kicks religiously in training and it came off today."
Schalke, who have not won the Bundesliga since 1958, now hold a three point cushion over Bayern with just nine games remaining.
"It is great to win but the victory is worthless if we do not beat Mainz next week," said Schalke manager Ralf Rangnick.
"We have to be top after 34 games - that is all that counts."
The last time Schalke were top of the Bundesliga was back in May 2001 when they lost the title to Bayern on the final day of the season.
The defeat is a major setback for the Bavarians who have now lost twice to Schalke this season - on both occasions by a 1-0 scoreline - and failed to win at the Arena Auf Schalke since its inauguration in 2001.
"We were not very attacking as a draw would have been fine for us," admitted Kahn. "We were missing Roy Makaay but that is no excuse as we have more than adequate replacements."
Before the match Brazilian Ailton claimed he still 'hated' Bayern coach Felix Magath from their brief time together at Bremen.
This distaste for Magath meant he played like a man possessed in the first half an hour chasing every lost cause.
With nine minutes gone Ailton should have opened the scoring but fired a shot at Kahn and the German international also saved the follow-up effort from Ebbe Sand.
Schalke were full of attacking verve early on and that seemed to liven up visitors Bayern,
In the 25th minute the visitors sprung into life with Peruvian international Jose Paolo Guerrero - in for the injured Makaay - forcing a fine save from Schalke keeper Frank Rost.
A Guerrero header then tested Rost again in the second half as Bayern pushed forward, but it was Schalke who got the breakthrough.
In Sunday's other match ten-man VfB Stuttgart climbed up to third with a 2-0 win at Borussia Dortmund.
Silvio Meissner scored in the 43rd minute and added a 90th minute penalty to clinch a vital victory as Stuttgart nudged German champions Werder Bremen from the final Champions League spot.
Bremen's hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League were dented on Saturday following a disappointing 0-0 home draw with Mainz 05.
After being thrashed 7-2 by Lyon in the Champions League on Tuesday a clean sheet was welcome, but manager Thomas Schaaf will still view the result as two points dropped.
"We did not get the rub of the green today," said Schaaf. "But the team have shown what they are made of after that awful defeat in the Champions League."
Bayer Leverkusen, who crashed out of Europe to Liverpool in midweek, somehow contrived to throw away a two goal lead - established after just 13 minutes - in a 3-3 draw with Hertha Berlin.
Hertha had Dick van Burik sent off in the 11th minute but it was Leverkusen who needed a late equaliser from Ukraine international Andrei Voronin so save a point.
"The way we peformed after going 2-0 up is simply not good enough," raged Bayer handler Klaus Augenthaler.
"There is no way we should be surrendering points so easily."
03/13/2005 19:38 GMT