Agile Adler addles Schalke

"World class" saves from young Bayer 04 Leverkusen goalkeeper René Adler defied leaders FC Schalke 04, as late goals took their toll on the Bundesliga leaders.

Immovable object
Schalke may have been expecting an easy ride at home to a Leverkusen side missing suspended No1 Jörg Butt, but they were to find his replacement Adler an immovable object in Gelsenkirchen. The 22-year-old repeatedly frustrated Schalke on his Bundesliga debut, laying the foundations for Stefan Kiessling's breakaway winner late in a one-sided second half.

'Powerful performance'
Leverkusen coach Michael Skibbe said of the 1-0 victory: "We had some luck and a goalkeeper who saved us with some world-class saves." A philosophical Schalke boss, Mirko Slomka, added: "We gave a powerful performance and put lots of pressure on them. We are disappointed - we deserved better - but we still have a decent [four-point] lead at the top of the table, so I think we can win the title."

Bremen denied
With second-placed VfB Stuttgart drawing 0-0 at home against Hertha BSC Berlin on Friday, Slomka's men were given further reason for relief yesterday when third-placed Werder Bremen were denied a 2-1 success at VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach thanks to Nando Rafael's equaliser for the bottom side four minutes into added time. Jurica Vranješ looked to have secured three points for Bremen with an 84th-minute goal, but it was not to be.

Schaaf response
"It's natural to be disappointed when you concede so late, having thought you had the three points," said coach Thomas Schaaf. "Still, we played better than we have in recent matches." Vranješ concurred; following a run of three successive Bundesliga defeats and a UEFA Cup loss at AFC Ajax, he was convinced Bremen were finally showing the form that had seen them billed as championship favourites. "We are still in the title race," he said. "We have shown the right reaction. It was a small step in the right direction." One negative was an injury to Serbian international defender Mladen Krstajić, the 32-year-old being sidelined for several weeks with a broken rib.

Luhukay inspired
Meanwhile, new Mönchengladbach coach Jos Luhukay was thrilled with his team's hard-won point, saying: "We worked very hard for the whole 90 minutes, the boys gave it everything and showed a lot of passion. We need our fans' support in the weeks to come so we can stay in the top division. Today, everyone could see that we are still alive and believe in ourselves."