Coming out on top

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BERLIN -- Schalke brushed aside Stuttgart 3-1 to draw level on points with Bundesliga leader Bayern Munich on Saturday.

Joel Matip put Schalke ahead in the third minute, defender Kyriakos Papadopoulos scored in the 57th, and Julian Draxler sealed the win by finishing a wonderful team move in the 80th.

Striker Shinji Okazaki scored an 87th-minute consolation for Stuttgart, after Tamas Hajnal's initial shot hit the post.

"You have to stay realistic and not think about the league trophy. That only brings misfortune. Bayern is title candidate No. 1," Schalke coach Huub Stevens said.

Freiburg climbed off the bottom of the table when 18-year-old Matthias Ginter headed an 88th-minute winner 18 minutes into his Bundesliga debut to beat Augsburg 1-0 and leave the visitors last.

Nuremberg beat Hertha Berlin 2-0 in its 1,000th Bundesliga game to climb above the visitors in the standings, Hoffenheim drew 0-0 with Hannover, and big-spending Wolfsburg beat Cologne 1-0.

Kaiserslautern drew 0-0 with Werder Bremen in the late game, when both sides hit the post and Kaiserslautern also hit the crossbar.

Kaiserslautern winter signing Jakub Swierczok almost scored in injury time for the home side, but his effort flew narrowly wide.

Defending champion Borussia Dortmund can join Bayern and Schalke on top of the standings with a win at Hamburger SV on Sunday. Bayern lost 3-1 to Moenchengladbach on Friday.

Cameroon midfielder Matip scored by deflecting in Benedikt Hoewedes' header from close range, and five minutes later Klaas Jan Huntelaar was unfortunate to have a goal ruled out for offside.

Huntelaar was first to the rebound after a Sven Ulreich save, though TV replays showed the Dutch striker onside for Christian Fuchs' initial shot.

However, Papadopoulos settled any Schalke nerves by beating two Stuttgart defenders to Draxler's corner to score with a powerful header, before Draxler capped a fine team move involving Ciprian Marica, Raul Gonzalez and Huntelaar.

"The whole setup, how the goal came about, was really super," Draxler said. "Everything with one touch."

Schalke's only setback came with the news that Hoewedes broke a cheekbone in a collision with teammate Marco Hoeger. The Schalke captain was forced off after 42 minutes, and expected to be out for weeks.

In Nuremberg, Alexander Esswein put the home side ahead against the run of play in the 43rd, when his deflected shot gave Hertha goalkeeper Thomas Kraft no chance, and Dominic Maroh made it 2-0 in the 85th to ruin Michael Skibbe's return to the Bundesliga.

Skibbe replaced Markus Babbel, who was fired as Hertha coach after a dispute with manager Michael Preetz.

"I am very sad that we lost," Skibbe said. "It was a very close encounter with the happier end for Nuremberg."

Ginter's winner for Freiburg ensured at least Christian Streich got off to a good start after the former assistant coach took over from the sacked Marcus Sorg.

"We had the bit of luck in the end. And Matthias took his first chance straight away," Freiburg captain Cedric Makiadi said.

Wolfsburg signed eight players for a reported C27.2 million ($35.2 million) in the off-season, and started with four against Cologne, but it was a former Wolfsburg youth player who scored the winning goal.

Halftime substitute Sebastian Polter got ahead of Cologne captain Geromel to meet Christian Traesch's cross with a fine header in the 78th. It was his second goal in three Bundesliga appearances.

"Of course I'm very happy, not only with the result, but also with the game," Wolfsburg coach Felix Magath said. "I'm also happy with the new players. You could see their potential."