Reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen slipped up with a 1-1 draw at St. Pauli on Sunday to drop eight points behind leaders Bayern Munich as their slim hopes of defending the Bundesliga title were all but ended.
Second-placed Leverkusen, who won the domestic league and Cup double last season without defeat, conceded a 78th-minute equaliser. They now have 64 points after 30 matches, with Bayern top on 72 after their 4-0 win over Heidenheim on Saturday.
Forward Patrik Schick headed in an Alex Grimaldo free kick to give Leverkusen a 33rd-minute lead for the visitors with his 18th league goal of the campaign.
But they could not score again and St. Pauli gradually fought their way back, levelling in the 78th after keeper Lukas Hradecky failed to gather the ball from a weak free kick, spilling it into the path of Carlo Boukhalfa, who tapped in.
It was a bitter evening for Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen, who are unbeaten on the road in the Bundesliga in 32 consecutive games and are only one match away from equaling Bayern’s all-time league record.
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