Paolo Guerrero scored the equalizer and set up another goal to allow Bayern Munich to spend the winter break in first place in the Bundesliga with a 2-2 draw against Stuttgart on Saturday.
Schalke conceded a late goal to draw 1-1 with bottom-place Freiburg and lost the opportunity to vault past Bayern.
PHOTO: AFP
Stuttgart had gone ahead on goals from Silvio Meissner and Kevin Kuranyi, who scored off another fumble by Oliver Kahn.
PHOTO: AFP
"We had a lot of luck today," Bayern general manager Uli Hoeness said.
With Stuttgart up two goals, Schalke seemed headed for first place after getting a goal from Mladen Krstajic in the first half. But Roda Antar ended Freiburg's seven-match losing streak by heading in the equalizer with four minutes remaining in the match.
PHOTO: AP
"I am disappointed, not so much for failing to gain first place but because the three points would have been important," Schalke coach Ralf Rangnick said.
Bayern and Schalke finished the first half of the season with 34 points, but Bayern has a superior goal difference. Stuttgart remained third at 31. The season resumes Jan. 21.
The team leading the race at the winter break -- the unofficial "fall champion" -- more often than not wins the championship.
In other matches, defending champion Werder Bremen moved to fourth by drawing 1-1 at home to Kaiserslautern and Hannover fell to sixth after losing 1-0 at home to surging Hertha Berlin, which moved past to No. 5. All three teams have 28 points.
Also, Mainz lost 1-0 at home to Nuremberg in a battle of two promoted teams, Hansa Rostock drew 1-1 with fellow struggler Borussia Dortmund and Hamburger SV beat Bochum 2-1.
Lee Carsley scored early in the second half to bring Everton a 1-0 victory Saturday over Liverpool in the Merseyside Derby, the Toffies' first victory in 10 tries in the fierce, cross-town rivalry.
Everton has been the league's most surprising team all season, and upsetting the Reds only added to it.
The win in the 200th Merseyside Derby moved Everton into second place with 36 points, just three points behind No. 1 Chelsea -- and two ahead of Arsenal.
Chelsea plays at Arsenal on Sunday in one of the most anticipated games of the season.
"It's great for us," said Everton manager David Moyes, whose team struggled last season despite playing with England star Wayne Rooney. Rooney was sold in the offseason to Manchester United.
The Irish international scored after Liverpool failed to clear a ball from the box, connecting in the 68th on a bending drive that beat Liverpool 'keeper Chris Kirkland.
Liverpool remained on 24 points, a disappointing loss after rallying to beat Olympiakos on Wednesday 3-1 and reach the Champions League final 16.
Trailing behind the top three in England are: Man United (30), Middlesbrough (29), Aston Villa (25), and Liverpool and Charlton (24). At the bottom, West Bromwich (10) is topped by Southampton (13), Blackburn, Crystal Palace and Birmingham City (14).
Rangers took the Premier League lead Saturday in Scotland, defeating Dundee 3-0 on early goals from Spaniard Nacho Novo and Croatian Dado Prso, and a second-half strike from Bob Malcolm.
The victory gave Rangers 43 points in 18 games. Celtic has 41 after 17 and played Sunday at Dunfermline. Aberdeen is in third place, nine points behind the leaders.
In other results Saturday: Dundee United 3, Kilmarnock 0; Hibernian 2, Aberdeen 1; Inverness 1, Hearts 1; Motherwell 2, Livingston 0.
Rangers manager Alex McLeish was already looking forward to his team's showdown against Celtic next month in the third round of Scottish Cup. The game will be played between Jan. 7-9, with a firm date expected in the next few days.
Rangers have not won at Celtic Park since March 2000, and last won a Scottish Cup match there in 1998.
"It is the toughest draw of the lot for us, and we have struggled in recent games at Parkhead [Celtic Park]," McLeish said.
FC Barcelona opened a 12-point lead in the Spanish league after Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez scored in a 2-1 win at 17th-placed Albacete on Saturday.
Also, Athletic Bilbao beat sixth-placed Atletico Madrid 1-0 when striker Asier del Horno slotted in a left-footed shot after controlling a long ball from defender Andoni Iraola.
Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard managed to start Ronaldinho, who had been in doubt due to an inflamed ankle, and goalkeeper Victor Valdes, who had been ill.
Midfielder Iniesta stunned the Carlos Belmonte Stadium when he pounced on a ball defender Francisco Pena was slow to clear a few yards outside Albacete's penalty area, and scored in the second minute.
Albacete pressed hard, and defender Ruben Gonzalez come closest to an equalizer when his powerful header in the 33rd minute was saved acrobatically by Valdes.
Chile international Mark Gonzalez succeeded in equalizing in the 73rd with a deft header from a free kick.
Hernandez then claimed the winner off his right foot from a throw-in in the 85th. Barcelona headed the standings on 38 points, Real Madrid was second on 26 -- pending Sunday's game against Real Sociedad -- with Espanyol. Valencia was fourth on 25.
Udinese extended its unbeaten streak to nine and consolidated its hold on third place in the Serie A on Saturday, beating last-placed Atalanta 1-0 to bolster its bid for a place in next season's Champions League.
Striker Vincenzo Iaquinta scored his team-leading fifth goal in the ninth minute for Udinese, which improved to 28 points -- seven behind league-leading Juventus and three behind AC Milan. Both Juventus and Milan play Sunday.
Udinese, which has finished in the top five only once in 20 years, needs to finish among the first four to earn its inaugural berth in the Champions League.
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