BERLIN: Union Berlin were held to a 0-0 draw by Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga on Saturday to hang on to third place with four games left but their Champions League spot is at risk.

After a strong start Union, who set a club record with their 21st straight unbeaten home league game, were on the back foot.

They bounced back briefly after the break, coming close with efforts from Sheraldo Becker and Jerome Roussillon before Leverkusen regained control.

In a lacklustre second half the visitors’ best chance came in the 86th minute when Union keeper Frederik Ronnow did well to stop Mitchel Bakker’s powerful header.

“We are satisfied because it was an intense game,” said Union coach Urs Fischer, whose team are having their best ever Bundesliga season.

“We wanted to try and win the game but then we had to stay sensible towards the end. Both teams had their chances so for me it was a great 0-0,” added the Swiss coach.

The result benefited neither team with Union remaining third but Freiburg joining them on 56 points — a club record — after their 1-0 win at Cologne.

Ritsu Doan scored the only goal of the game which solidified Freiburg’s chances of following Union to a first-ever Champions League.

In Saturday’s late game, second-last Schalke picked up a crucial three points in their battle to beat the drop, Dominick Drexler scoring in the second minute of injury time for a 2-1 home win over Werder Bremen.

Trailing 1-0 due to Marvin Ducksch’s fourth goal in two games with 10 minutes remaining, Liverpool loanee Sepp van den Berg slammed in a low strike to level the scores.

Drexler finished off a length-of-the-field move with the clock winding down, to send Schalke five clear of last-placed Hertha and one point from safety with four games remaining.

Despite the loss, Bremen remain seven points clear of the relegation spots in 12th place.

Elsewhere, RB Leipzig, in fifth on 54, also moved within striking distance following their 1-0 home victory over Hoffenheim while Stuttgart leapfrogged Bochum out of the relegation places with a 2-1 home win over a ten-man Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Earlier, Frankfurt drew 1-1 at home against Augsburg, extending their winless run to nine matches and likely extinguishing any slim hopes the Europa League holders have of a return to Europe.

Published in Dawn, May 1st, 2023