FOUR-GOAL HAMBURG MARCH ON

sportinglife - Upwardly mobile Hamburg's assault on a Champions League position continued apace with superb win over Arminia Bielefeld in an entertaining clash at the Schuco Arena.

Hamburg took an early lead thanks to Benjamin Lauth, but they were pegged back when Massimiliano Porcello and Fatmir Vata goals put Arminia in front.

But the visitors showed their European credentials by fighting back in style and first-half strikes from Sergej Barbarez and Khalid Boulahrouz, coupled with a fourth goal by substitute Mehdi Mahdavikia, made the prolific Delron Buckley's last-gasp effort nothing put a consolation.

The result puts Hamburg fourth in the table, just a point behind Werder Bremen - who occupy the final Champions League slot.

Lauth's second-minute goal, which came from Stefan Beinlich's inviting cross, set the tone for a helter-skelter match that sent the pulses racing.

The advantage lasted 19 minutes before Arminia midfielder Porcello powered a breathtaking 20-yard free-kick past goalkeeper Stefan Wachter.

The home side claimed the lead six minutes later when Vata glanced home a Porcello shot that may have been heading in anyway.

Going a goal down seemed to galvanise the North German club and they equalised seven minutes before the interval when their leading scorer Barbarez nodded in his 11th of the season from another delicious Beinlich centre.

The first-half scoring was not over yet. Beinlich was once again the architect as his cross was only poorly cleared, allowing Boulahrouz to fire a rasping drive into the corner from the edge of the area.

The game was made safe for the visitors after 71 minutes when Mahdavikia, who had come on for Naohiro Takahara at half-time, got on the end of a rapid counter-attack, strode clear of three defenders and clipped calmly past home keeper Mathias Hain

After Isaac Boayake went close for Arminia, the club's top-scorer Buckley claimed his customary goal when the South African marksman glanced a header past Wachter for his 15th of the season.

Unfortunately, it was not enough for his side as Hamburg hung on to wrap up their sixth win in seven games and give their Champions League push a shot in the arm.