AFP, BERLIN, April 11: Bayer Leverkusen cut Borussia Dortmund's lead at the top of the Bundesliga to just five points on Sunday as they came from behind to seal a 2-1 win at home against relegation-threatened St Pauli.
After Dortmund were held to a 1-1 draw at Hamburg on Saturday, second-placed Leverkusen chipped away at Borussia's lead and fought back as Germany striker Stefan Kiessling equalised before Lars Bender scored the winner.
The hosts had to dig deep after St Pauli's Charles Takyi gave the guests a shock lead just after the break.
"It is difficult to play against a team who have such a high morale and passion," Leverkusen manager Jupp Heynckes said.
"We put on a few substitutes in the second-half, which turned the game.
"St Pauli gave a good account of themselves, it would be a shame if they got relegated."
With five games now remaining before the season finishes on May 14, Leverkusen have a crunch clash next Saturday at defending champions Bayern Munich.
The Bavarian giants are fourth -- outside the Champions League places for next season -- after drawing 1-1 at Nuremberg and sacked coach Louis van Gaal on Sunday with Heynckes set to take charge next season.
Second from bottom St Pauli are two points from safety and will play their next home game, against Werder Bremen on April 23, without spectators as punishment for the attack on an assistant referee by a fan ten days ago.
Earlier bottom side Borussia Moenchengladbach gave themselves a Bundesliga life-line with a shock 5-1 win over mid-table Cologne which leaves the hosts four points from safety.
'Gladbach are now in with a fighting chance of avoiding relegation after racing into a 3-0 lead after less than 40 minutes.
But Borussia have their work cut out with games against Mainz, leaders Dortmund, Hanover and Freiburg coming up with all four sides in the top half of the table.
"Anybody can read the table, we are happy with the three points and we want to keep going," said 'Gladbach coach Lucien Favre.
The bottom two teams in the Bundesliga are relegated automatically with the side 16th, third from bottom, facing a play-off with the team third from top in the second division.
On Saturday, Hanover went third at the expense of Bayern with a 2-0 win at home to Mainz.
Fresh from their 5-2 win at holder Inter Milan in the Champions League in midweek, Schalke 04 earned a 1-0 home over VfL Wolfsburg, whose ex-coach Felix Magath returned to Gelsenkirchen just three weeks after being sacked by the Royal Blues.
The defeat leaves 2009 German champions Wolfsburg third from bottom and two points from safety while Schalke are up to ninth.
Hoffenheim are down to tenth in the table after losing 3-2 at Freiburg.
Relegation-threatened Werder Bremen and Eintracht Frankfurt shared the points with a 1-1 draw on Friday night in Frankfurt to keep both teams above the bottom three.
