Meier hat-trick gives Frankfurt last-ditch win

BERLIN (Reuters) - Eintracht Frankfurt stalwart Alexander Meier scored a second-half hat-trick, including a stoppage-time winner, to give his side a 3-2 win over VfL Wolfsburg and three vital points in their relegation fight. Claudio Pizarro, 37, was among the scorers as struggling Werder Bremen also won, coming from behind to beat Schalke 04 3-1 away. Seventh-placed Wolfsburg dominated the first half and took a deserved lead when former Bayern Munich defender Dante stabbed the ball home at the far post following a free kick in the 25th minute. Daniel Caligiuri wasted an excellent chance to add a second goal just before the break, missing a gaping goal from six metres, and Wolfsburg paid the price in the second half. Meier, who had made almost no impact on the game in the first hour, suddenly sprung to life when he equalised with a half-volley from 12 metres in the 67th minute. The 33-year-old, who has been at Eintracht since 2004 and experienced relegation with them in 2011, struck again six minutes later, curling the ball in from the edge of the penalty area. There was another twist when Andre Schuerrle pulled Wolfsburg level in the 79th minute, turning the ball in after Sebastian Jung's lowccross was dummied by Nicklas Bendtner. Meier had the last laugh, however, pouncing on a moment of hesitancy in the Wolfsburg defence to score the winner with almost the last kick of the match. "We could have scored so many goals in the first half. That was incredible, in the last second," Schuerrle said. "You can't lose a game like that." The win lifted Eintracht into 14th place with 20 points, two ahead of VfB Stuttgart and Werder Bremen, who are in the relegation playoff spot. Joel Matip put Schalke in front with a looping header after four minutes but Clemens Fritz curled in a shock equaliser from the edge of the area two minutes before the break. Peru forward Pizarro, in his third stint at Bremen and the highest-scoring foreign player in Bundesliga history, put the visitors in front in the second half with his 179th goal in Germany's top flight. Anthony Ujah flicked in Fritz’s cross from the left to seal Bremen’s first win at Schalke for nearly six years. Schalke would have gone into fourth place, which earns a place in the Champions League playoff round, if they had won, but instead stayed sixth with 27 points. Bayern Munich lead the standings with 49 points, eight clear of Borussia Dortmund. (Writing by Brian Homewood in Berne, editing by Alan Baldwin and Ed Osmond)