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Bundesliga

Bayer Leverkusen moved to the top of the Bundesliga on Saturday with a 2-2 draw at Schalke.

Goals from Toni Kroos and Stefan Kiessling gave Leverkusen a two-goal lead at half-time but Schalke, who came from behind to snatch a point at home to Hamburg last weekend, repeated that feat with goals from Kevin Kuranyi and Vicente Sanchez.

Today's earlier results meant both sides knew they could go top of the table. Leverkusen only needed a point to detach themselves from Hamburg and Werder Bremen while Schalke needed to win to leap above all three of their rivals.

Eren Derdiyok had the first chance of the game after an understandably tight opening, but he headed just over the crossbar from Kroos' corner in the 25th minute.

At the other end, Kuranyi had Schalke's first chance moments later, but his shot was made difficult by the presence of Sami Hyypia and Rene Adler had no problems making the save.

Kroos, who was only in the Leverkusen team due to an injury to Simon Rolfes, put the visitors ahead in the 29th minute with a memorable goal.

Schalke failed to clear their lines properly from a corner and Kroos volleyed the ball into the bottom corner from the edge of the penalty area.

Kiessling, who has already been informed by Germany coach Joachim Low that he will be part of his squad for the upcoming friendlies against Chile and the Ivory Coast, demonstrated his excellent form with the second goal just before half-time.

He bagged his seventh goal of the season, beating Carlos Zambrano in the air to meet Tranquillo Barnetta's free-kick and double Leverkusen's lead.

And he almost got his eighth in stoppage time with another header from a Barnetta cross, but this time Manuel Neuer pushed the ball onto the crossbar with a fine reaction save.

Schalke responded well in the second half and had the ball in the back of the net on the hour mark, but Jefferson Farfan had impeded Adler and the goal did not count.

Kuranyi gave the Royal Blues hope in the 83rd minute when he kept his cool in a goalmouth scramble to force the ball over the line.

And Schalke completed a remarkable recovery when Sanchez beat Adler to reach Kuranyi's flick to head the ball into the unguarded net and earn the home side a second straight home draw against league leaders.