Arjen Robben came to Bayern Munich's rescue for the second time in four days as his side went back to the top of the Bundesliga with a 2-1 win on Saturday.
After putting the Bavarians into the last eight of the Champions League with his stunning goal against Fiorentina, his two goals enabled Bayern to come from behind to claim all three points against strugglers Freiburg.
Cedric Makiadi had put the visitors ahead in the 31st minute, but a 76th-minute free-kick and then an 83rd-minute penalty from the Holland winger took them back above Schalke to the summit of the table.
Franck Ribery was left in the stands by Bayern coach Louis van Gaal after he revealed that the Frenchman had needed painkilling injections to get through the Fiorentina game in midweek.
Lucas Barrios scored twice late on as Borussia Dortmund went fourth in the Bundesliga with a 4-1 victory at 10-man Bochum.
Home defender Marcel Maltritz scored an own goal after 18 minutes and Mohamed Zidan doubled the advantage in the 27th minute. Bochum then went a man down after 33 minutes as Milos Maric was shown a red card.
The hosts were a different team after the break and Lewis Holtby made it 2-1 in the 53rd minute.
But Barrios end all doubt with goals in the 74th and 77th minutes.
Edin Dzeko inspired Wolfsburg to its fourth straight Bundesliga win with a brace in a 4-0 win at Borussia Monchengladbach.
Zvjezdan Misimovic put the Wolves ahead in the 41st minute before Dzeko scored his first from the penalty spot in the 49th minute.
Christian Gentner guaranteed Wolfsburg all three points 10 minutes later before Dzeko's 14th goal of the season ensured an even more convincing win for the defending German champions 10 minutes from time.
Mainz boosted its hopes of European qualification with a battling victory over struggling Cologne, despite playing most of the game with 10 men.
The hosts were facing an uphill struggle when Aristide Bance was sent off in the 27th minute, but Andre Schurrle netted shortly before the hour mark to hand his side all three points.
Hannover collected its second straight victory in its fight against relegation by holding on at home against nine-man Eintracht Frankfurt.
Leon Andreasen gave Hannover the lead after 14 minutes and Halil Altintop equalised in first-half stoppage time for the visitors.
Frankfurt was reduced to 10 men in the 54th minute as Selim Teber was sent off for a second yellow card offence.
Sergio Pinto restored Hannover's lead in the 57th minute and Frankfurt lost another player as Maik Franz received his second yellow card a minute into stoppage time.
Hertha Berlin suffered a huge blow to its hopes of avoiding relegation as it squandered a first-half lead and went down to a stoppage-time, 2-1 defeat to Nurnberg.
Theofanis Gekas gave Hertha the lead in the 36th minute but the Europa League side could not take advantage of their chances and Albert Bunjaku equalised after 61 minutes.
And Nurnberg shocked Berlin in the final minutes as Angelos Charisteas struck the winner a minute into injury time.
Bayern Munich 2 (Robben 76, 83p)
SC Freiburg 1 (Makiadi 31)
Hertha Berlin 1 (Gekas 36)
Nurnberg 2 (Bunjaku 61, Charisteas 90)
Borussia Munchengladbach 0
VfL Wolfsburg 4 (Misimovic 41, Dzeko 49p, 80, Gentner 59)
VfL Bochum 1 (Holtby 53)
Borussia Dortmund 4 (Maltritz 18og, Zidan 27, Barrios 74, 77)
Hannover 96 2 (Andreasen 14, Pinto 57)
Eintracht Frankfurt 1 (Altintop 45)
Mainz 1 (Schurrle 56)
FC Cologne 0