BERLIN, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Franck Ribery struck again to give Bayern Munich a 2-1 comeback win at Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday while Hoffenheim returned to the top of the Bundesliga with a 3-1 victory at VfL Bochum.

Bayern started casually and fell behind early in the second half through a Martin Demichelis own goal.

Miroslav Klose equalised and Ribery, who scored his first goal of an injury-hit season to lead another rallying 4-2 win over VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday, sealed Bayern's victory with 20 minutes to go when he netted from the edge of the area.

Hoffenheim's comeback was even better, digging themselves out of trouble with three goals in a seven-minute burst in the second half.

Bochum took the lead in the third minute and it was hard going for the Bundesliga newcomers before Demba Ba put them level just past the hour.

Vedad Ibisevic converted a penalty to take his goal tally for the season to 11 and Brazilian midfielder Carlos Eduardo made certain of the win with a deft finish a minute later.

Hoffenheim lead on 22 points from 10 games followed by Bayer Leverkusen on 21 after a 2-0 win at Werder Bremen on Tuesday.

Hamburg SV are third on 20 points thanks to a 2-0 triumph at home to VfB Stuttgart while Bayern are fourth on 18.

Bayern's third successive league win should have been more comfortable but they failed to make the most of their first-half dominance.

Frankfurt could hardly get the ball off them in that 45 minutes yet so casual were Bayern they created just one clear-cut chance, Ribery sliding a pass for Bastian Schweinsteiger who wasted the opportunity with a weak shot.

The game changed when Demichelis diverted a dangerous low cross from Markus Steinhoefer in at Michael Rensing's far post.

The goal probably worked in Bayern's favour as they suddenly started attacking with more urgency.

The equaliser came when Ribery burst through on the right and cut the ball back for Klose to convert and the French forward got the second when he leant back to guide in his shot at the far corner.

The president of the German Football Association has questioned the motives behind Michael Ballack's apology to national coach Joachim Low.

The Chelsea midfielder released a statement on Saturday in which he admitted criticising Low's treatment of Torsten Frings and Kevin Kuranyi in a recent interview had been a mistake.

The Chelsea man also signalled his intention to say sorry to Low in person when he had recovered from a foot operation and was fit to travel to Germany.

But DFB chief Theo Zwanziger fears Ballack's actions could be just a ploy to avoid being stripped of the captaincy.

"The apology has taken the edge off the conflict. And at least it has now been clarified that the mistake clearly lay with our captain,'' Zwanziger told the online version of Die Welt newspaper.

"Now we certainly have to face the question: How reasonable is Michael Ballack? Is the apology only tactics or is it really meant honestly?''

Low last week summoned Ballack for one-to-one talks after being "disappointed'' at comments the made in a newspaper interview.

Ballack had suggested to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that Low had been disrespectful in his recent treatment of Frings and Kuranyi.

Low was incensed his skipper had used the media to criticise him and threatened to strip him of the national team captaincy.

Zwanziger has spoken with Low and Germany manager Oliver Bierhoff about Ballack over the past few days.

"We discussed what the explanation means and questioned whether with it everything is now sorted,'' he added. "Joachim Low does not see it like that and I also don't see it like that.

"We have to exactly scrutinise what intentions lie behind the statements, and at the end of the talk it has to be guaranteed that nothing like this will happen again.''

BERLIN, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Bayer Leverkusen struck twice in the last 20 minutes to beat struggling Werder Bremen 2-0 on Tuesday and move back on top of the Bundesliga, at least for 24 hours.

Leverkusen always looked the likelier team to break the deadlock at the Weserstadion and they managed it when Arturo Vidal pounced on a weak punch from the keeper. Defender Manuel Friedrich then scored another scrappy goal to make certain.

With 10 games played, Leverkusen lead the standings with 21 points. Hoffenheim drop to second on 19 but will regain first place if they win away to Bochum on Wednesday.

Schalke 04 climbed to third with 17 points when they enjoyed a leisurely 3-0 win away to Karlsruhe.

Bayern Munich, who are seventh on 15 points, visit Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday.

Werder, runners-up to Bayern, last season, have now gone four league games without a win and lie in 10th place with 13 points from 10 games.

They lacked spark in attack once again on Tuesday, with Brazilian playmaker Diego and Peruvian striker Claudio Pizarro both missing through injury.

They were at least defending comfortably enough, however, until a mistake from reserve keeper Christian Vander, playing in place of the injured Tim Wiese, tipped the match Leverkusen's way.

Vander opted to punch clear a header in the 71st minute rather than catch it and the ball landed straight at the feet of the grateful Vidal.

Leverkusen's excellent young keeper Rene Adler kept the visitors ahead when he saved a screaming shot from Markus Rosenberg before Friedrich tapped in the second.

"We're not imposing our own game and we're making the same mistakes every time," Werder coach Thomas Schaaf told reporters. "We just have to stay calm."

Germany coach Joachim Löw has reiterated his desire to speak to Chelsea's Michael Ballack, but insists he will not be flying to London to meet him.

Löw summoned the Germany captain for a one-to-one talk after being criticised by the Blues midfielder in a newspaper interview last week.

Ballack's club blocked him from flying to Germany as a precautionary measure after the former Bayern Munich man underwent foot surgery recently, but Löw feels it was the player's duty and not that of his club to rule out a meeting.

"I told him quite clearly that I would have expected him to tell me that personally," Löw told Monday's Bild newspaper.

Instead, he learned that Ballack would not be coming to see him when a fax arrived at the German Football Association headquarters last Friday.

Chelsea coach Luiz Felipe Scolari had earlier invited Löw to London to speak with his player, but Löw would not consider that.

"Even if other people see things differently, I would never have flown to London," added Löw.

"That has always been my stance from the beginning and I am sticking by it."

Löw will now wait for Ballack to be given the all-clear to fly to Germany before holding talks that should decide the 32-year-old's international career.

BERLIN, Oct 27 (Reuters) - The results have yet to come, but Werder Bremen believe their form is returning just in time for Tuesday's clash with second-placed Bayer Leverkusen, the first of three home games that could define their season.

Bayern Munich's poor start to the season overshadowed Werder's own problems this term but now Juergen Klinsmann's side are finally getting their act together last season's runners-up are in danger of getting left behind.

Saturday's 1-1 draw with Hanover 96 left Werder in 10th place with just 13 points from nine games, and without a Bundesliga victory in a month.

After taking on Leverkusen on Tuesday they host sixth-placed Hertha Berlin on Saturday followed by a Champions League game against Panathinaikos.

Win all three and they will be back in the title race and with a good chance of qualifying for the knockout phase of the Champions League.

"We couldn't beat Hanover but it was a step forward all the same," coach Thomas Schaaf told reporters. "The performance was fine. We were certainly a lot more secure than we have been of late."

Defence has been Werder's problem this term, with the team having conceded 20 goals already.

That statistic should have Bayer Leverkusen licking their lips. Leverkusen, who briefly led the standings after winning on Friday against Cologne, have scored 22 goals this season, eight of them by in-form Germany striker Patrick Helmes.

Hoffenheim are the new leaders after winning 3-0 at home to Hamburg and they should have little trouble staying at the top when they visit Bochum on Wednesday.

Bayern Munich, up to fifth after beating VfL Wolfsburg 4-2 on Saturday, bid for a third successive league win away to improving Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday.

BERLIN, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Hoffenheim maintained their glorious start to life in the Bundesliga when they reclaimed top spot with a ruthless 3-0 win at home to Hamburg SV on Sunday.

Nigerian striker Chinedu Obasi scored twice and Bosnian Vedad Ibisevic took his tally for the season to 10 as the village team with deep pockets secured probably the best win of their debut season in the top flight.

After nine games, Hoffenheim lead the standings with 19 points, one ahead of Bayer Leverkusen after they won 2-0 at home to Cologne on Friday.

Hamburg slip to third on 17 points, one ahead of VfB Stuttgart after two late goals from Mario Gomez gave them a 2-0 win at home to Bochum on Sunday.

Bayern Munich are in fifth place on 15 points after Juergen Klinsmann's side continued their recovery by coming from two goals down to win 4-2 at home to VfL Wolfsburg on Saturday.

Hoffenheim enjoy the backing of multi-millionaire software pioneer Dietmar Hopp and they have clearly used the money wisely during their steady rise to fame.

Coach Ralf Rangnick, formerly of Schalke 04, has encouraged his team to play in a fearless style and their ability to break at speed was too much for a tired looking Hamburg side.

They made the breakthrough after seven minutes with a simple goal. Brazilian midfielder Carlos Eduardo played a swift ball in from the right to Obasi, who turned his marker just inside the area and beat the keeper at his near post.

The second came a few minutes later via a lightning break down the left. Obasi played the ball to Sejad Salihovic, who in turn fed Demba Ba. Frank Rost managed to block his shot but Ibisevic reacted quicker than anyone to turn in the rebound.

Hoffenheim extended their lead before the first half was up and again it was speed of thought and execution that did for Hamburg.

Ba elected to take a quick free kick from inside his own half while Hamburg were still getting organised. His pass found Salihovic, who set Obasi running clear through the middle to dummy the keeper and make the game safe.

BERLIN, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Germany captain Michael Ballack plans to apologise to coach Joachim Löw in person in a move that should help to cool their public row.

"I will sit down with Joachim Löw, as soon as my injury permits, and apologise for my behaviour to him," Ballack was quoted as saying in a statement released by the German Football Association (DFB) on Sunday.

Ballack's position as captain came under threat when Löw reacted furiously to a newspaper interview in which the Chelsea midfielder suggested senior players were not being treated with enough respect.

Plans for a meeting between the two men were scuppered on Friday when Chelsea said he could not travel because of his foot injury but the DFB said on Sunday that Ballack had telephoned Löw again on Saturday evening.

"I told Jogi Löw that it was never my intention to criticise the work he is doing as national team coach," Ballack was quoted as saying. "I just wanted to show support for my fellow players.

"I admire Jogi Löw as a player and a professional very much."

Löw told the DFB he would wait for the meeting to take place before making any comment.

"I've noted Ballack's explanation but much more important is our private discussion," Leow said.

The row over the treatment of senior players exploded after Löw left Kevin Kuranyi and Torsten Frings out of the starting line-up for Germany's World Cup qualifier against Russia this month.

Kuranyi walked out on the team while the match was still going on, bringing his international career to an end, while Frings, after being left out of the starters for the next match as well, said he would consider his future.

BERLIN, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Bayern Munich's recovery is unlikely to survive the visit of a familiar foe on Saturday unless they heed the words of captain Mark van Bommel.

Juergen Klinsmann's side are back within five points of the leaders as they prepare to face a VfL Wolfsburg side coached by former Bayern boss Felix Magath (kickoff 1330 GMT).

It is the sort of match they should be relishing after 3-0 win at home to Fiorentina in the Champions League but Van Bommel knows Tuesday's scoreline masked an uncomfortable truth.

While the Bavarians had arguably their best game of the season in attacking terms, they left huge gaps in defence and better finishing from Fiorentina, who had a total of 23 shots, could have made it a different story.

"We were very lucky not to concede at least one goal against Fiorentina," Van Bommel told reporters after the match.

"There's a lot we have to improve on."

Bayern will be hit by the absence of defender Philipp Lahm, after he suffered an ankle injury against the Italians. Christian Lell is likely to step in.

Otherwise the injury situation is looking good and coach Juergen Klinsmann believes the club are seeing the benefit of the tougher training regime he imposed on taking over before the start of the current season.

"Out physical condition is giving me a lot of confidence," Klinsmann told reporters after the Fiorentina victory.

"We're in good shape, and we're just starting to see the early results of our extremely demanding training over the last three months.

"The players aren't pulling up short any more, they have it in them to run 60 yards even as late as the 86th minute. We're also developing an element of consistency."

Victory over Fiorentina followed a 1-0 win away to Karlsruhe last weekend, a result that left them in the lower half of the table but within sight of leaders Hamburg.

Once again, Hamburg are not in action until Sunday, when they visit second-placed Hoffenheim, meaning Bayern have the chance to put further pressure on their title rivals with a Saturday victory.

The fixture list has presented Bayer Leverkusen with an even better opportunity, as victory at home to Cologne on Friday would take them up from third to first.

Germany coach Joachim Low is to summon captain Michael Ballack to Germany to discuss his future with the national team in the wake of damaging comments made in a newspaper interview.

Ballack accused Low of lacking respect for older players such as Torsten Frings in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Newspaper earlier this week.

The Chelsea midfielder is unhappy with the way Frings and Kevin Kuranyi have been sidelined by Low, suggesting they have been treated with a lack of respect and asking: Where are we going to end up?''

These remarks have left Low seething and he wants to speak to Ballack face to face.

He said today: I will telephone Michael Ballack and summon him for a talk in Germany.

(I will) tell him that I am hugely disappointed with the route he has chosen and that the remarks he has made are unacceptable.''

Ballack's future as Germany captain and his whole international career are riding on the discussion and Low has not ruled excluding Ballack in the same way as he ended Kuranyi's international career, at least temporarily, 10 days ago.

My decision depends on what happens in this discussion,'' revealed Low. We will just have to wait and see where we go.

We have often encouraged Michael Ballack to speak up about the things he, as captain, sees critically, but for him to use the media to criticise our work is completely wrong and cannot be accepted.''

Low did not play Frings in the recent World Cup qualifiers against Russia and Wales.

And Kuranyi was told he would not play for Germany again while Low is in charge after he left the Westfalenstadion at half-time of their World Cup qualifying victory over Russia because he was left out of the 18-man matchday squad.

Low said: No player, not even the captain, has the right to criticise the coach in reference to his team selection and choices or to even revolt against the coaching team publicly.

It seems that the term 'respect' goes hand in hand with an automatic place in the starting XI.

But there are other personal and tactical things that a coach must consider when he makes his decisions.

The coaching team will not accept anybody saying we lack respect.''

Among other things, Ballack said of Frings' omission: If you don't want anybody any longer, then you should just say so honestly. Respect and loyalty is the least a worthy national player can expect.''

He also expressed his disappointment at not having been contacted by Low since undergoing foot surgery.

Germany skipper Michael Ballack underwent surgery on his feet on Friday and could be out of action for around two weeks.

The 32-year-old Chelsea star needed the operation to cure an infection after complaining of pain in his feet in the World Cup qualifying win over Wales.

The surgery, carried out with the agreement of Chelsea, was successful and the midfielder should be back in training in two weeks' time.

Winger Piotr Trochowski unleashed a superb second-half strike to seal a 1-0 win over Wales on Wednesday and put Germany four points clear in their World Cup qualifying group.

Joachim Loew's side took a sizeable step towards claiming the single guaranteed place at South Africa 2010 from Group Four with three more points against a spirited Welsh side in their final qualifier of the year.

"We are really pleased to have finished the year with six points from the win over Russia (last Saturday) and Wales, it puts us in a good position for next year," said Loew. Their third win from four qualifying games means Germany are now on ten points with Russia - who beat Finland 3-0 in Moscow on Wednesday - and plucky Wales lagging behind on six each, but Germany wasted a string of chances.

"We failed to score an early goal and made life a bit hard for ourselves," said captain Michael Ballack after the win over Wales."In the first-half, we lacked the concentration and a bit of finishing, but things were better in the second-half."

The result was a bitter pillow to swallow for John Toshack's team who defended passionately, but the Germany attack finally unpicked the lock on the Welsh goal when Trochowski rifled his shot home on 72 minutes.

Watch highlights from the game here.>>

Germany coach Joachim Löw said on Sunday he would no longer select striker Kevin Kuranyi after he went absent without leave, disappearing from the stadium following Saturday's 2-1 win over Russia in a World Cup qualifier.

The Schalke 04 forward, who had not been selected for the 18-man match squad in the Group Four qualifier, watched from the grandstand as Lukas Podolski and Michael Ballack hit first-half goals to seal the win on Saturday.

Afterwards, the 26-year-old did not show up for the team bus on their journey from the stadium to their base in Düsseldorf and up until Sunday morning had no contact with the team.

Löw and team manager Oliver Bierhoff made several attempts in vain to reach the striker on his mobile phone.

Löw immediately reacted by discarding him. "I cannot accept a reaction such as that shown by Kevin, and therefore I will no longer select him in future for the national side," Löw said.

Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack and Bayern Munich striker Lukas Podolski fired first-half goals to give Germany a 2-1 win over hard-working Russia in Saturday's World Cup qualifier in Dortmund.

Germany remain a point clear at the top of Group Four on seven points with two wins and a draw after their win over Guus Hiddink's Russia team who are fourth in the table with three points from last month's 2-1 win over Wales.

Podolski and captain Ballack scored within the first half hour to give the home side a 2-0 lead at the break. But Russian play-maker Andrei Arshavin scored early in the second-half and the guests had Germany under pressure right up to the final whistle.

"We played well in the first-half and grabbed two nice goals," said Ballack, who missed Germany's last two games with injury. "But the Russians didn't allow us any peace and so nearly earned a goal right up until the end." Podolski finds it easier to get into the Germany team than the Bayern side having spent most of the season on the bench and the 23-year-old now has 31 goals in 58 internationals.

"The coach gave me the chance again and I paid the confidence back with a good game," said Podolski. "That was one of our best performances, but the Russians had us under intense pressure in the second-half."

Injuries meant striker Roman Pavlyuchenko, defender Denis Kolodin and midfielder Dmitry Torbinsky were all missing from Hiddink's selection. The only surprise in Joachim Löw's Germany team was the midfield inclusion of Stuttgart's Thomas Hitzlsperger for fit-again Torsten Frings, who along with Ballack, missed last month's 6-0 win in Liechtenstein and the 3-3 draw in Helsinki through injury.

A broken hand suffered by first-choice goalkeeper Robert Enke on Wednesday gave Bayer Leverkusen's 23-year-old Rene Adler his debut in goal for Germany. He was tested early on when Yuri Zhirkov got in behind the German defence and put in a cross which lone striker Pavel Pogrebnyak just failed to convert inside the first five minutes.

German defender Philipp Lahm and Ballack both went close moments later as the home side increased the pressure. Germany took the lead when striker Miroslav Klose slipped the ball through the defence and Podolski turned his marker before making sure he was the first to the ball in the penalty area to fire home on nine minutes.

And the home side went 2-0 ahead when Bastian Schweinsteiger's pass put his captain Ballack into the penalty area and the Chelsea star volleyed home from five metres out on 28 minutes. It was so nearly 3-0 when Podolski rifled his shot home on 33 minutes, but Akinfeev pushed the ball around the post to make it 2-0 at the break.

Russia's attack - which so impressed during Euro 2008 when they reached the semi-finals - finally made an impact on 51 minutes when Zenit St Petersburg midfielder Arshavin stabbed home his shot with Adler under intense pressure. Germany were soon back on the attack and ex-Aston Villa midfielder Hitzlsperger went close with a long-range volley approaching the hour mark and Hamburg winger Piotr Trochowski beat Akinfeev, but hit the bar moments later.

Russia should have equalised when a ball over the defence put Progrebnyak one-on-one with Adler, but the German keeper scrambled away the danger. Adler was repeatedly tested in the dying minutes, but Germany held their lead to take the three points.

In the next round of Group Four games, Germany face Wales at home in Mönchengladbach on Wednesday, the same night Russia play Finland in Moscow.

BERLIN, Oct 4 (Reuters) - Bayern Munich's Bundesliga woes continued on Saturday when they blew a two-goal lead in a 3-3 home draw with VfL Bochum while promoted Hoffenheim took over at the top.

Bayern were leading 3-1 with seven minutes to go through goals from Daniel van Buyten and Ze Roberto (2) only to allow Bochum to stage a comeback with two bad defensive lapses inside three minutes.

The draw follows two successive Bundesliga defeats and leaves Bayern 11th in the table with nine points from seven matches in Juergen Klinsmann's first season in charge.

The only consolation for Klinsmann is other title challengers also lost ground.

Werder Bremen were thumped 4-1 at VfB Stuttgart while Bayer Leverkusen lost 1-0 at home to Hertha Berlin.

Hoffenheim are the new leaders on 13 points following a 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt, with Stuttgart trailing on goal difference.

Hamburg SV, who also have 13 points and a game in hand, can go back to the top after Sunday's match at Energie Cottbus.

Klinsmann is not in serious danger of losing his job this early in the season but does need results to start going his way again soon.

Bayern took the lead with an opportunist strike from Van Buyten after 15 minutes before Sinan Kaloglu equalised by threading in a shot at the near post after a swift break down the left.

Ze Roberto, who scored against Olympique Lyon in the Champions League this week, restored Bayern's lead when he took a loose ball on his chest and stepped inside the area before shooting across goal and into the net just before halftime.

The Brazilian got his second with another calm finish midway through the second half and Bayern would have made the game completely safe if Luca Toni had not missed a stack of chances.

Instead, Bayern's defenders failed to pick up Christoph Dabrowski as he strolled trough the middle to tap in a cross from the right and repeated the mistake when Dennis Grote was left alone to head in the equaliser at the far post.

"It's frustrating and extremely annoying," Klinsmann told Premiere TV. "We had chances to make it 5-1, 6-1. We should have made the game certain."

Bayern Munich coach Jurgen Klinsmann believes Tuesday night's 1-1 draw with Lyon was a case of a point gained rather than two lost.

Bayern remained on top of Group F in the Champions League after the second round of matches after equalising Lyon's early goal in the Allianz Arena.

A strike from Ze Roberto in the 52nd minute cancelled out a Martin Demichelis own goal to leave the Bavarians on top of the pile with four points and unbeaten ahead of their double-header with second-placed Fiorentina.

"Of course we would have preferred to win the game, but it was not to be," said Klinsmann, who has come under pressure after a sluggish start from his team in the Bundesliga, where they lie ninth after winning only two of their opening six games.

"Nevertheless, I am happy with the team, both technically and for their engagement," Klinsmann added.

"Now we move on to the Bundesliga where we will try and correct things on Saturday."

Lyon coach Claude Puel praised his side for picking up their second successive draw in Europe and claimed there could even have been more in the game for his side.

"To get a draw was a good result tonight," he said.

"We had chances, but were not able to get the win, but we have made Bayern suffer, we were courageous and played with great intensity.

"I have always said that this group is going to be very, very tight and now we go to Bucharest and we can get a good result there."

While the French champions travel to the Romanian capital on October 21, the 2008 Bundesliga winners head for Florence and the former club of their striker Luca Toni.

MILAN, October 1 (Champions League) - Claudio Pizarro came back to haunt his former boss as he helped his team to a share of the points in a thrilling Champions League Group B clash at the San Siro.

Maicon fired Internazionale into an early lead in the 13th minute as the Nerazzurri attack threatened to overrun Werder Bremen.

But the Germans slowly began to get a foothold in the game and the hosts were made to rue their sackful of missed opportunities when Pizarro, who Inter boss Jose Mourinho managed at Chelsea, netted a deserved equaliser just after the hour mark and almost bagged a winner right at the death.

Inter, eager to erase memories of the weekend's derby defeat to AC Milan, began the brighter and almost got off to the perfect start as with barely 25 seconds on the clock Zlatan Ibrahimovic played a great cross into the box which Adriano controlled well on his chest, but the Brazilian's bicycle kick flew narrowly over the bar.

Minutes later it was Adriano's turn to provide his strike partner as he put a brilliant 40-yard crossfield ball into Ibrahimovic, but the angle was just too tight for the Sweden forward.

However, Inter, in fine attacking form did not have to wait long for their opener as, with the ever dangerous Adriano pushing forward, Frank Baumann's attempted clearance rebounded off his team-mate and into the path of Maicon who raced into the box before lifting the ball over the onrushing Tim Wiese.

Bremen searched for an equaliser two minutes later with their first chance of the match as Diego managed to squeeze a shot between two Inter players but his 20-yard effort was too weak and Julio Cesar made an easy save.

The visitors were beginning to get into the game and were practically camped in the Inter half but their lack of creativity meant they could not find a way past the Nerazzurri defence.

Inter looked more likely to score and enjoyed a series of half chances before Dejan Stankovic missed a glorious opportunity to double his side's advantage in the 37th minute, leaving him beating the ground in frustration.

One on one with the goalkeeper, the Serbia midfielder should have controlled Mario Balotelli's long ball better, but it ran away from him and by the time he reached it the angle was too tight.

The hosts were almost made to rue that opportunity seconds later as Pizarro came agonisingly close to levelling the scores.

Sebastian Prodl put in a great cross from the right byline which fizzed past the Inter defence and Pizarro seemed certain to score but the Peruvian hit the post from very close range.

The second half started as calmly as the first had been frantic with neither team creating any real opportunities.

However, Bremen had scored 10 goals in their previous two games and it was no surprise when they eventually found the back of the net, as a great ball from Prodl found Pizarro waiting at the back post and the on-loan Chelsea striker scored for the fourth game in succession.

Ibrahimovic almost netted a deserved goal seven minutes later as he dribbled into the area and tried to force his way through the Bremen defence but there were simply too many white shirts and Wiese was able to collect the ball.

The Swede should have helped the Nerazzurri secure all three points five minutes from time with a great ball which Julio Cruz was inches away from getting a toe to and an almost certain goal.

The San Siro faithful were left shaking their heads in disbelief again just seconds later as a super strike from Maicon curled towards goal but hit the outside of the post.

And they almost finished the game empty handed as, in injury-time, Cesar spilled Naldo's free-kick into the path of Pizarro but the Peruvian volleyed into the side netting.

MUNICH, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Bayern Munich put a nervous first-half display behind them to claim a 1-1 draw at home to Olympique Lyon in Champions League Group F on Tuesday.

Bayern, facing trouble on the domestic front after two successive Bundesliga defeats, gifted Lyon the lead when Martin Demichelis headed a Juninho free kick back past his own goalkeeper in the 25th minute.

The German champions had Franck Ribery back from his ankle injury and the Frenchman caused plenty of problems.

After several near misses they got the equaliser they deserved when Ze Roberto arrived late in the penalty area to head home a Miroslav Klose cross shortly after the break.

Bayern remain top of the group with four points from two games, followed by Lyon and Fiorentina on two and Steaua Bucharest on one.

"We had enough chances to win the game," Bayern coach Juergen Klinsmann told reporters. "We would have loved three points instead of one but I think we're still well placed in Europe."

The return of Ribery for his first start of the campaign gave Bayern just the sort of unpredictable threat they have lacked in Klinsmann's first season as a club coach.

Ribery looked a constant danger as he buzzed around the Lyon penalty area but, sadly for Bayern, the forwards could not provide the finishing touch, with Luca Toni twice missing when through on goal after Lyon had taken the lead.

Ze Roberto finally provided the cool head they needed for a nicely worked equaliser but despite regular chances none of the forwards could match his poise.

Lyon were doing well just to hold on yet they very nearly snatched a winner, with Karim Benzema failing to get a shot on target after Philipp Lahm's mistake had given him a great chance five minutes before the end.