Schalke v Leverkusen
Leon Bailey strike helps Bayer Leverkusen to draw with Schalke
Substitute Leon Bailey denied Schalke all three points at the Veltins-Arena as Bayer Leverkusen forced a 1-1 Bundesliga draw on Friday.
Bailey's second-half effort -- a response to Leon Goretzka's stunning free-kick opener -- snapped Bayer's run of three straight away defeats but Schalke perhaps deserved to win the encounter.
After a slow start, Schalke took the initiative with left-back Bastian Oczipka fizzing a shot just wide.
Encouraged, the Royal Blues poured forward and in the 34th minute won a free kick, which Goretzka dispatched into the top corner with perfect aim.
A double substitution at the break paid dividends for Bayer on the hour mark as Jamaican winger Bailey found the back of the net with a deflected effort.
Lucas Alario -- a summer signing from River Plate -- then put the ball over the line to apparently give Bayer the lead, but much to Schalke's relief he was offside.
Game Information
German Bundesliga Standings
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bayern Munich | 16 | 14 | 2 | 0 | +51 | 44 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 16 | 9 | 6 | 1 | +14 | 33 |
| RB Leipzig | 15 | 9 | 2 | 4 | +11 | 29 |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 16 | 9 | 2 | 5 | +10 | 29 |
| VfB Stuttgart | 16 | 9 | 2 | 5 | +6 | 29 |
| TSG Hoffenheim | 15 | 8 | 3 | 4 | +9 | 27 |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | 16 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 26 |
| SC Freiburg | 16 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 23 |
| 1. FC Union Berlin | 16 | 6 | 4 | 6 | -3 | 22 |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach | 16 | 5 | 4 | 7 | -2 | 19 |
| FC Cologne | 16 | 4 | 5 | 7 | -2 | 17 |
| Werder Bremen | 15 | 4 | 5 | 6 | -10 | 17 |
| Hamburg SV | 16 | 4 | 4 | 8 | -10 | 16 |
| VfL Wolfsburg | 16 | 4 | 3 | 9 | -12 | 15 |
| FC Augsburg | 16 | 4 | 2 | 10 | -15 | 14 |
| St. Pauli | 15 | 3 | 3 | 9 | -13 | 12 |
| 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 10 | -21 | 12 |
| Mainz | 16 | 1 | 6 | 9 | -13 | 9 |
Bundesliga News