German Bundesliga leader Bayer Leverkusen on was held to a 1-1 draw Saturday at Bochum, while chaser Bayern Munich staged an outstanding 3-1 performance against swamped defending champion Wolfsburg.
In a one-sided affair Leverkusen pressed midtable team Bochum into defence. Due to the well positioned defence by Bochum, Leverkusen needed 45 minutes to score the opener when striker Eren Derdiyok overcame Bochum defence in cooperation with Stefan Kiessling to mark the score into bottom right.
After the break at the 68th minute Bochum striker Zlatko Dedic scored the surprising equalizer. Midfielder Lewis Holtby assisted with a terrific through ball. Leverkusen pressed unsuccessfully for the winner and Bochum killed the clock.
Leverkusen remains on top with 45 points. Bochum stuck on 14th position.
Record champions Bayern Munich stretched their winning streak to eight and closed the gap to leader Leverkusen after the 3-1 victory over Wolfsburg.
Bayern took over control from kick-off against struggling Wolfsburg and went into the lead after just two minutes. Youngster striker Thomas Mueller showed good passing when he assisted midfielder Arjen Robben from the left wing. Robben netted in from 11 meters into bottom right. Wolfsburg put up for some resistance but failed to score.
With 26 minutes on the clock Bayern extended the lead. After a corner Wolfsburg failed to clear the ball from goal area, so that Bayern defender Daniel van Buyten nodded home from six meters into top left corner.
After the break Bayern remained dominant and offensively active. One minute after kick-off Frenchman Frank Ribery was fielded. 57 minutes into the match midfielder Frank Ribery introduced the own goal by Wolfsburg defender Andrea Barzagli with a lob onto the target.
In the dying minutes of the match Wolfsburg striker Grafite scored the consolation goal after defender Daniel van Buyten deflected the ball to Grafite.
Bayern remains in 2nd position equal on points with leader Leverkusen due to the weak goal difference. Wolfsburg slipped from 11th to 12th position.
Schalke and new boys Freiburg splits points after an unspectacular goalless draw. Both teams remained on their positions, Schalke on 3rd and Freiburg on 15th.
In a spectacular match with six goals Cologne and Hamburg shared points. Only two minutes into the match Hamburg defender Marcell Jansen capitalized on a fumble by Cologne goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon to open the scoring. Cologne remained stunned until the 31th minute when defender Youssef Mohamad levelled the score by header after a set by piece situation.
Hamburg pilled on the pressure and took the lead only five minutes later. Striker Mladen Petric lobbed the ball into the goal.
Five minutes after interval referee Michael Weiner awarded Hamburg a penalty after a handball by Cologne defender Pedro Geromel. Striker Mladen Petric hammered the ball into the centre of the goal to give his team a 3-1 lead.
Cologne kept it bowling and was rewarded at the 75th minute when striker Milivoje Novakovic cureld a dead ball into bottom right corner. Minutes before end of the match Hamburg coach Bruno Labbadia fielded new signed top striker Ruud van Nistelrooy. But, two minutes before final whistle Cologne midfielder Adil Chihi slotted home the late equalizer.
The draw moved Hamburg from 5th to 4th position and Cologne from 13th to 11th position.
Hoffenheim defeated relegation-threatened Hannover 2-1. Carlos Eduardo and Sejad Ibisevic gave Hoffenheim a 2-0 lead. Hannover striker Arouna Kone shorthand the score at the 57th minute.
Hoffenheim jumped from 9th to 7th position while Hannover remains in drop zone.
Stuttgart extended their series of wins to five after they defeated new boys Nuremberg 2-1. Midfielder Timo Gebhart gave Stuttgart the lead at the 22nd minute. With 60 minutes on the clock Nuremberg striker Albert Bunjaku levelled the score. Stuttgart pilled on the pressure and was rewarded at the 87th minute when midfielder Robert Hilbert scored the winner.
The 2-1 victory moved Stuttgart from 10th to 8th position. Relegation-threathend new boys Nuremberg remain on 17th position.
On Sunday Bundesliga Dortmund host Frankfurt and Mainz will face Gladbach.