Bayern clinched the double last season with a 2-1 cup final victory over Schalke 04 and a second successive league title is on the cards with just five points needed from the remaining three games to ensure their Bundesliga crown.

The 74,349-strong crowd, including Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann, saw a largely well-balanced contest where outsiders Frankfurt refused to make things easy for their more famous opponents.

Early on, Frankfurt managed to close down the channels through which Bayern have fed long passes to Roy Makaay and Pizarro with such success this season and Michael Ballack, as well as the rest of the Bayern midfield, did not have their best of matches.

The first chance of the match fell to Dutchman Makaay after three minutes though Frankfurt had the best opportunity of the first half when lone striker Ioannis Amanatidis narrowly missed the target with a fierce shot from the edge of Oliver Kahn's box.

Bayern were playing in workmanlike fashion, without much passion, before the break but they upped the tempo at the restart.

Ze Roberto was brought on by Magath for Bosnian Hasan Salihamidzic and Bayern immediately had more of an impact with Ballack having a headed chance and Frankfurt keeper Oka Nikolov pushing a Makaay close-range shot on to the crossbar.

The 19-times German league champions had more luck on the hour when a corner on the right from Brazilian Ze Roberto found the head of Pizarro who netted past Nikolov.

Amanatidis nearly earned an equaliser shortly before the final whistle but Kahn, who saved the day explained afterwards: "It was a lucky save. I only saw the ball at the last minute and I reacted instinctively by raising my hand up to the left.

"Now we have to win the league to win another double."