The striker with the Scottish name trumped the striker with the Scottish accent in Germany this weekend. Roy Makaay's 100th goal for Bayern Munich helped inflict a 2-0 defeat on Peter Lovenkrands' Schalke in what may yet prove a pivotal moment in the season.

Schalke remain two points clear of Werder Bremen at the top of the table, but their quest for a first national championship since the Bundesliga's inception in 1963 is being seized by tension. More heartbreak could be on its way for a support burdened by previous experience of sobbing into their scarves.

Lovenkrands made an aborted comeback after an ankle ligament injury forced a six-week absence during which Schalke gathered only four points from four matches.

The former Rangers player lasted a mere 34 minutes before twisting awkwardly as his studs caught in the turf at Munich's Allianz Arena.

His participation in the remaining seven Bundesliga games could now be in doubt, creating a further problem for the stuttering Gelsenkirchen club. The Dane has proved a shrewd acquisition, his pace helping propel Schalke to the points advantage they now threaten to waste.

VfB Stuttgart sit in third, yet it is Bayern who are casting an ominous shadow. Ottmar Hitzfeld's side are still in a lowly fourth place, but only six points currently lie between them and Schalke. Bayern's esteemed coach has played down any hope of a dramatic title revival and insisted finishing in the top three to secure Champions League qualification remains their prime motivation.

Yet the Bavarians are not a club accustomed to settling for consolation prizes. A third successive Bundesliga crown is a revitalised ambition among their huge support after Saturday's success.

There will, though, have to be a drastic improvement in form outside the Allianz Arena if Munich's bierkellers are to rock in celebration come the season end on May 19. They have lost seven times on the road this term, with four of their remaining fixtures away from home.

Such fragility on their travels would have appalled Hitzfeld during his first, dominant spell in charge of the club between 1998 and 2004. Reappointed in January after Felix Magath was fired, he has already claimed the scalp of Real Madrid during an enthrall-ing Champions League first knockout round tie.

They now face AC Milan, conquerors of Celtic, in tomorrow night's quarter-final first leg, harbouring dreams of a surprise repeat of their 2001 coronation in the competition. And why not?

No-one could pretend this year's last eight is a vintage crop. Much will depend on Makaay. Lukas Podolski may be Germany's greatest attacking hope, but he has been hampered by injury since joining Bayern from FC Koln and has yet to fully display his potential in a red shirt. Makaay continues to score with metronomic efficiency.

The Dutchman's modesty and professionalism are the first attributes often commented upon by his employers but he also has a neat talent for snatching headlines. His goal after 10.2 seconds in the second leg against Madrid is the fastest in Champions League history. More importantly, it immediately transformed the complexion of the tie after Bayern had lost 3-2 in the Bernabeu.

Hitzfeld has some sore memories of Makaay's potency at the highest level in Europe. A hat trick for Deportivo La Coruna at Bayern's old Olympic Stadium powered the Spaniards to a 3-2 Cham-pions League success in season 2002/03. Hitzfeld moved for his tormentor at the end of that campaign, paying Deportivo a club record £11m to take Makaay to Germany and defeat interest from the Premiership and Serie A.

His time at Munich has been a resounding success, but wider recognition of talents has been somewhat limited by a lack of success with the Dutch national team.

Some observers in the Netherlands would protest that he was too much of a penalty box predator for the expansive systems expected of the Oranje. Makaay only managed a handful of goals over his years of involvement before Marco van Basten decided he should join the list of high-profile victims in his putsch of the squad. He was excluded by van Basten for last summer's World Cup and, at 32, Makaay's time at international level seems up.

There would be a nice element of revenge if he picked the meeting with Milan, where van Basten earned superstardom, to put out a reminder that he is not a has-been yet.