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 München | 31 | 26 | 4 | 1 | +81 | 82 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 31 | 20 | 7 | 4 | +34 | 67 |
| RB Leipzig | 31 | 19 | 5 | 7 | +24 | 62 |
| VfB Stuttgart | 31 | 17 | 6 | 8 | +20 | 57 |
| TSG Hoffenheim | 31 | 17 | 6 | 8 | +16 | 57 |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 31 | 16 | 7 | 8 | +20 | 55 |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | 31 | 11 | 10 | 10 | -2 | 43 |
| SC Freiburg | 31 | 12 | 7 | 12 | -8 | 43 |
| FC Augsburg | 31 | 10 | 7 | 14 | -16 | 37 |
| Mainz | 31 | 8 | 10 | 13 | -10 | 34 |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach | 31 | 7 | 11 | 13 | -14 | 32 |
| Werder Bremen | 31 | 8 | 8 | 15 | -18 | 32 |
| 1. FC Union Berlin | 31 | 8 | 8 | 15 | -20 | 32 |
| FC Cologne | 31 | 7 | 10 | 14 | -8 | 31 |
| Hamburg SV | 31 | 7 | 10 | 14 | -16 | 31 |
| St. Pauli | 31 | 6 | 8 | 17 | -27 | 26 |
| VfL Wolfsburg | 31 | 6 | 7 | 18 | -25 | 25 |
| 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 | 31 | 5 | 7 | 19 | -31 | 22 |
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