BERLIN: Bayern Munich has fired coach Louis Van Gaal following Saturday's 1-1 draw against Nuremberg in the Bundesliga, the club said Sunday. “Bayern have given coach Louis Van Gaal leave of absence with immediate effect,” the club said on their website (www.fcbayern.t-home.de). Andries Jonker was named as coach until the end of the season. Dutchman Van Gaal was sacked after Saturday's result left Germany's biggest club in danger of missing out on next season's Champions League. Bayern dropped to fourth after the draw. It was overtaken by Hanover 96 which beat Mainz 05 2-0 Saturday and now occuppies the Champions League qualifying round spot. Van Gaal took over before the 2009-10 season and made an immediate impact, winning the Bundesliga and German Cup and leading Bayern to the Champions League final in his first season in charge. In September, Bayern extended his contract to the end of the 2011-12 season but, after a series of disappointing results, said in March that he would be leaving at the end of the current season. With next season's final to be staged in Munich, it would be a catastrophe for Bayern if it missed out on the Champions League. Bayern was knocked out in the last 16 of this season's Champions League, losing on away goals to Inter Milan after conceding a last-minute goal and losing 3-2 in the home leg despite dominating the match. Borussia Dortmund needed an injury time goal from substitute Jakub Blaszczykowski to earn a 1-1 draw at 10-man Hamburger SV Saturday and remain on course for the Bundesliga title. Hannover beat Mainz 2-0 to move back into third place ahead of Bayern Munich, which squandered an early lead and had to settle for a 1-1 draw at Nuremberg after a mistake by goalkeeper Thomas Kraft. In other matches Wolfsburg lost 1-0 to Schalke, Freiburg beat Hoffenheim 3-2 and Kaiserslautern won 4-2 at Stuttgart. Napoli improves position Napoli showed its Serie A title credentials Sunday with a 2-0 win at Bologna, despite missing top scorer Edinson Cavani. Giuseppe Mascara put Napoli in front in the 30th minute after Bologna goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano failed to control a backheel effort from Ezequiel Lavezzi. Marek Hamsik doubled the lead with a penalty just before halftime. Napoli is level on points with AC Milan at the top of the table, with Milan playing at Fiorentina later. Inter Milan is two points behind following its 2-0 win over Chievo Verona Saturday. Milan is above Napoli in the standings, courtesy of its two head-to-head wins this season. Napoli hasn't won Serie A since Diego Maradona led the southern club to the honor in 1987 and 1990. The club fell into financial difficulty and was relegated to the third division in 2004 but new president Aurelio De Laurentiis has made the side a threat again. Elsewhere, Lazio beat Parma 2-0 to move past Udinese and into fourth place, which carries the final Champions League berth. Earlier in the lunchtime fixture, Juventus rallied to beat Genoa 3-2 for its third consecutive win, keeping alive the Turin outfit's faint Champions League hopes. Also, it was: Bari 1, Catania 1; Cagliari 1, Brescia 1; Palermo 2, Cesena 2; and Sampdoria 1, Lecce 2.
