Bundesliga leaders Dortmund five clear of Bayern with win over Cologne

Berlin: Front-runners Borussia Dortmund crushed Cologne 6-1 while Stuttgart wrapped a lucky 1-0 win over Nuremberg in Bundesliga football.

The "BVB" humbled struggling Cologne when they turned a 0-1 deficit into a 6-1 win owing to a brace by Shinji Kagawa. Cologne striker Milivoje Novakovic headed home a cross at the 13th minute. Dortmund remained unfazed and answered with the equaliser by Lukasz Piszczek in the 26th minute. Cologne staged a good performance against defending champions Dortmund but with beginning of the second half Dortmund kept things firmly in their hands. Midfielder Kagawa turned the match to 2-1 two minutes into second half when he hammered home a volley from very close distance to start the goal fest. Kagawa, striker Robert Lewandowski, midfielder Ilkay Guendogan, midfielder Ivan Perisic sealed the hammering. Dortmund remain unbeaten for 21 games while Cologne suffered their 15th loss of the season. Dortmund stay on top with 62 points and a five-point lead over rivals Bayern Munich. Cologne slipped from 13th to 14th position with 28 points. In the other matches Sunday, Stuttgart sealed a 1-0 win over dominant Nuremberg as striker Cacau slotted home the winner in the 78th minute at the Mercedes Benz Arena in front of home crowd. The win puts Stuttgart on eighth position with 39 points. Nuremberg slipped from tenth to 11th position on 31 points. IANS