Schalke maintain pressure on Bayern

Schalke overturned a first-half deficit
with two goals in 10 minutes to beat
Werder Bremen 2-1 on Saturday
afternoon at the Veltins Arena and
keep the pressure on Bundesliga
leaders Bayern Munich.
Aaron Hunt gave Bremen the lead
after 16 minutes but Roman
Neustadter equalised in the 59th
minute and Julian Draxler scored the
decisive goal 10 minutes later.
Just days after coming back from a
two-goal deficit to draw 2-2 at home
against Arsenal in the Champions
League, Schalke again pulled
something out of the bag to close the
gap on Bayern to seven points.
Schalke's first chance came just 38
seconds into the match as Werder
keeper Sebastian Mielitz made a
superb save to keep out Klaas-Jan
Huntelaar's back-heel attempt.
Werder took the lead with their first
opening in the 16th minute. Huntelaar
lost the ball in his own half and Eljero
Elia passed to Zlatko Junuzovic, who
in turn played in Hunt with the
forward firing just inside the right post
for his third goal in the last two
matches.
The hosts came close to doubling
their advantage on the half-hour mark
as Sokratis' header crashed off the
crossbar. Bremen hit the bar again
just two minutes later as Kevin De
Bruyne's curling free-kick glanced off
the framework.
The hosts equalised in the 59th
minute from a set-piece, with
Christian Fuchs' free-kick from the left
finding Neustadter, whose header
went over Sebastian Mielitz and in at
the left post.
Schalke took the lead 10 minutes later,
though, on a counter attack as
Jermaine Jones passed to an on-
rushing Draxler, who blasted his left-
footed shot in at the far post.
Mielitz kept his team in the match with
a superb stop from Draxler in the
84th minute and was lucky that Lewis
Holtby was offside when he found the
back of the net moments later.
Holtby then saved the day for Schalke
four minutes into injury time, heading
Theodor Gebre Selassie's effort off
the line.