BERLIN (AP) — Karlsruher SC beat Schalke 2-0 Saturday to continue its unexpected run in the Bundesliga with Christian Timm scoring in the 69th and 83rd minutes.
Newly promoted Karlsruhe knocked Schalke off the second spot in the German first division, with Schalke now fifth after its first league defeat.
Schalke looked tired after beating Rosenborg 2-0 Wednesday in the Champions League.
In a lacklustre match, Karlsruhe backed up its solid defence with two swift shifts into attack.
For the second goal, three quick passes left Timm clear to put a low shot past Schalke goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
Schalke, which had gone four league games without conceding a goal, had a goal from Kevin Kuranyi disallowed for offside.
"I think a game like today is decided by small things, and that would have put us ahead 1-0," Schalke coach Mirko Slomka said.
Schalke, playing in front of 61,000, lost for the first time at home since a 2-0 defeat against Hamburg on March 2.
Bayern Munich remained first with 20 points. It has a chance to build its lead to five points after the ninth round with a home win against FC Nuremberg on Sunday, when Eintracht Frankfurt also hosts Bayer Leverkusen.
Karlsruhe has 18, Werder Bremen and Hamburger SV 17 and Schalke 16.
VfB Stuttgart, the defending champions, was plunged deeper into a crisis when two goals by Szabolics Huszti and an early ejection gave Hannover a 2-0 win.
United States defender Steve Cherundolo’s perfect cross set up the Hungarian to head in a goal in the 52nd minute to seal Hannover’s win against Stuttgart.
Huszti converted an eighth-minute penalty for sixth place Hannover, which proved double costly to Stuttgart. Fernando Meira had blocked an attempt with his upper arm and was both ejected and called for the penalty.
When Huszti made it 2-0, Stuttgart coach Armin Veh covered his face with both hands and shook his head slowly in frustration.
"The red card just fits our situation right now. It happens when you’re down and we’re really down at the moment," Veh said.
His young team is 12th in the Bundesliga and threatened with a quick exit in the Champions League after a 2-0 loss to Barcelona on Tuesday.
Rafael van der Vaart tied a Hamburg record in his club’s 1-0 victory at Arminia Bielefeld. He equalled the feat of Uwe Seeler, one of Germany’s greatest players, by scoring in seven straight games.
The Dutchman volleyed in a long pass on the run in the 49th to match the mark from the 1963-64 season.
"It’s an honour," Van der Vaart said. "But he scored 10 goals in those games, while I have seven."
Bremen needed the help of two ejections from MSV Duisburg to pull out a 3-1 win.
Just seconds after Duisburg’s Pablo Caceres was sent off for a foul on Daniel Jensen, Boubacar Sanogo put Bremen ahead 2-1. Despite a red card for Blagoy Georgiew, Bremen struggled to wrap up the game until Leon Andreasen scored in the 86th minute.
"It’s a funny feeling when you have two more players on the field," Bremen midfielder Torsten Frings said. "You always make it tough on yourself. Then they showed a stubborn reaction and we had problems."
Hertha Berlin and last-placed Energie Cottbus also played 0-0, while VfL Wolfsburg edged Hansa Rostock 1-0. On Friday, Borussia Dortmund beat VfL Bochum 2-1.