Defending champions Bayern Munich were held to a 1-1 draw at Leverkusen yesterday evening to find themselves lagging 14 points behind the Bundesliga leaders.

With top side Borussia Dortmund coming from behind to win 2-1 at Freiburg to pick up their 11th league win from 13 games, Bayern are leaving themselves a considerable gap to bridge with more than a third of the season now played.

Bayern are up to eighth in the league while Bayer Leverkusen are third.

Bayern Munich took the lead when national team players Thomas Mueller, the top scorer at the World Cup, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mario Gomez combined for a dream goal.

Mueller lobbed in a cross from the flank, Schweinsteiger, who led Germany in the goalless draw against Sweden in midweek, chipped Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper Rene Adler and striker Gomez volleyed into the net on 34 minutes.

It was Gomez’s fifth league goal in four games and his eighth in the Bundesliga this season.

But Leverkusen drew level when Bayern’s Croatia defender Danijel Pranjic brought down midfielder Stanley Sam on the edge of the penalty area in added time and Chile striker Arturo Vidal fired home the 47th-minute spot-kick.

French midfielder Franck Ribery came off the bench in the second half, to loud jeers and boos around Munich’s Allianz Arena with 30 minutes remaining, but it was not enough.

Earlier, Dortmund came from behind to earn a 2-1 win at title rivals Freiburg to keep their seven-point lead over second-placed Mainz who ended their three-game losing streak.

Dortmund went behind when defender Mats Hummels turned the ball into his own net on 26 minutes.

Poland striker Robert Lewandowski saved his side’s blushes with a powerful header on 75 minutes after coming off the bench as his side turned the screw on Freiburg.

The Borussia Dortmund winner came on 78 minutes when Frei-burg defender Mensur Mujdza slid the ball into his own net as Dortmund attacked in waves to seal their victory.

Results

E. Frankfurt vs Hoffenheim 0-4; Frei-burg vs B. Dortmund 1-2; Hanover vs Hamburg 3-2 ; B. Leverkusen vs B. Munich 1-1; B. M’gladbach vs Mainz 2-3; Nuremberg vs Kaiserslautern 1-3; Schalke vs W. Bremen 4-0.

Playing today: Stuttgart vs Cologne 15.30; St Pauli vs Wolfsburg 17.30.

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