Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich twice had to come from behind to draw 2-2 against lowly Mainz to give second-placed RB Leipzig the smallest glimmer of hope.
Defending champions Bayern extended their advantage to nine points but, with their nearest rivals having a match in hand at Schalke on Sunday, and five games still to play, the mathematical possibility of catching them has improved slightly.
Arjen Robben and Thiago Alcantara equalised on-loan Bojan Krkic's second-minute opener and then Daniel Brosinski's penalty just before the break.
Borussia Dortmund's late 3-2 win at Borussia Monchengladbach -- courtesy of Raphael Guerreiro's 87th-minute goal -- lifted Thomas Tuchel's side up to third.
Marco Reus converted a wrongly-awarded penalty in the 10th minute only for the hosts to respond through Lars Stindl and Marcel Schmelzer's own goal either side of half-time but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang came off the bench to equalise before Dortmund snatched a late winner.
At the other end of the table, bottom side Darmstadt dealt a blow to Hamburg's survival hopes with a 2-1 win at their fellow strugglers.
Two goals in as many minutes from Aytac Sulu and Felix Platte just after half-time put the visitors, themselves virtually condemned to relegation as they are 12 points from safety with four matches to play, ahead before Fabian Holland's own goal offered consolation for Hamburg in the third minute of added time.
Second-bottom Ingolstadt are five points from safety after a 4-2 defeat at home to Werder Bremen, despite leading 2-1 with nine minutes to go.
Max Kruse scored three times in the closing stages to add to his penalty equaliser on the stroke of half-time.
Dario Lezcano had given the hosts the lead and Pascal Gross restored their advantage in the 62nd minute only for Kruse to impressively turn things around.
Augsburg remain in the bottom three after a 3-1 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt, despite taking a ninth-minute lead through Jeffrey Gouweleeuw, as Marco Fabian (two) and Ante Rebic scored in the last 12 minutes for the hosts.
Wolfsburg are only a point above the relegation zone after losing 1-0 at Hertha Berlin courtesy of Vedad Ibisevic's 59th-minute goal.