Leverkusen on top
February 21, 2010
With a 2-2 draw against Werder Bremen, coach Jupp Heynckes' Bayer Leverkusen reinstated itself at the top of the Bundesliga table and set a new league record of 23 consecutive games unbeaten.
Only one-goal difference puts Leverkusen ahead of Bayern Munich, who drew 1-1 against Nuremberg on Saturday. Ironically, the old record of consecurtive games unbeaten had been set during the 1988-1989 season by Bayern - then coached by none other than Heynckes.
It was only a late goal by Bremen's Per Mertesacker in injury time that kept Leverkusen from a win, which would have given them a two-point lead over Bayern.
Also on Sunday, third-placed Schalke slipped further behind the table toppers with a 2-1 loss to last season's champions Wolfsburg. While Schalke dominated for most of the game, Grafite scored two goals within six minutes in the second half to secure victory. Schalke now sit four points behind Leverkusen and Bayern.
Wolfsburg should have had the lead from the beginning, but a goal by Edin Dzeko in the 12th minutes was wrongly called offside by the referee.
At the other end of the table, Hertha Berlin beat Freiburg 3-0 in Sunday's early fixture. Both teams are fighting to avoid relegation. While Berlin remains at the bottom with just 15 points, it's now four points away from the safety of 15th place - where Freiburg currently sits.
hf/AFP/dpa/SID
Editor: Sonia Phalnikar