Grafite goal boosts Brazil hopes
BERLIN - Grafite boosted his chances of a place in Brazil's World Cup squad by scoring the second goal as German champions VfL Wolfsburg won 2-0 at struggling Nuremberg on Sunday.
Edin Dzeko became the Bundesliga's top scorer with 19 goals after putting Wolfsburg ahead in the 66th minute. His strike put him one goal ahead of Schalke 04's Kevin Kuranyi and Bayer Leverkusen's Stefan Kiessling.
Europa League semi-finalists Hamburg SV sneaked a late 2-1 win at VfL Bochum to end a four-match winless league run in Sunday's other game.
Wolfsburg, eighth with 46 points from 30 games, went ahead when Zvjezdan Misimovic found Dzeko with a diagonal pass and the Bosnian scored from 15 metres.
Twelve minutes later, Makoto Hasebe was given too much space on the right and delivered a pinpoint pass for Grafite to head in at the far post for his 10th goal of the season.
Grafite was overlooked by Brazil last year, when he was the Bundesliga's top scorer with 28 goals, but was given a surprise call-up for last month's friendly against Ireland, when he made only his second international appearance.
Hamburg, without striker Paolo Guerrero who began a five-match suspension for throwing a plastic bottle at a fan after last week's goalless draw with Hanover 96, went ahead in the 18th minute when midfielder Robert Tesche headed in from a corner for his first league goal of the season.
Bochum equalised just after the half hour when Joel Epalle headed into the path of Slovenia forward Zlatko Dedic who volleyed in from 20 metres.
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The visitors, who are sixth with 48 points, snatched a win in the 88th minute when substitute Andreas Johansson turned the ball into his own net under pressure from Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Bochum, who extended their winless run to eight league games, are 15th with 28 points, one point and one place above Hanover who are in the relegation playoff spot.
Nuremburg also have 28 points and are ahead of Bochum on goal difference.