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Hamburg SV and Bayer Leverkusen shared a 0-0 draw to remain undefeated at the top of the Bundesliga.

Leverkusen are top on goal difference, with both teams on 21 points from nine games.

Hamburg started at a furious pace, dominating possession before the visitors began to find valuable space in midfield and came close to taking the lead when Gonzalo Castro chipped the ball over keeper Frank Rost only to see it go wide.

The home team's attacking woes continued when striker Tolgay-Ali Arslan limped off injured on 37 minutes, with forwards Paolo Guerrero and Mladen Petric already out with long-term problems.

Bruno Labbadia's Hamburg refused to give up though, surging forward again in the second half and coming close through Eljero Elia and Marcus Berg.

Nineteen-year-old Tunay Torun, who came on for Arslan, missed the best chance for Hamburg when he failed to hit the target from eight yards 11 minutes from time.

Schalke 04 won 2-1 at struggling VfB Stuttgart to stay on the heels of the Bundesliga leaders while Bayern Munich notched their first victory in three games with a 2-1 triumph at Freiburg.

Schalke grabbed the lead midway through the first half when defender Stefano Celozzi failed to clear a cross from Rafinha, allowing Ivan Rakitic to fire home from close range.

Keeper Manuel Neuer did well to protect his team's fragile lead when he saved a Cacau volley from 18 yards on the stroke of halftime.

Neuer though could not stop the Brazilian-born Germany international scoring with a tap-in after Julian Schieber whipped in a low cross on 73 minutes, giving 13th-placed Stuttgart hope of avoiding their fourth defeat in five league matches.

Kevin Kuranyi then stunned the hosts with 14 minutes to go, firing the winner after Rafinha found him unmarked on the right.

Bayern needed a scrappy effort from Thomas Mueller and a spectacular own goal from defender Cha Du-ri to edge past promoted Freiburg.

Italy striker Luca Toni was in the starting line-up for the first time this season but the Bavarians, without injured Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben, were lucky to take the lead three minutes before half-time.

Mueller pounced on a loose ball in the box to score after Toni and Miroslav Klose failed to convert from close range.

South Korean Cha Du-ri made it 2-0 when he wrong-footed keeper Simon Pouplin with a back pass on 68 minutes.

Stefan Reisinger pulled a goal back for Freiburg in stoppage time but Bayern's win took them up to fifth with 15 points from nine matches.

Werder Bremen are fourth after they sealed a 2-0 win over Hoffenheim with goalkeeper Tim Wiese the hero of the day after he saved a first-half penalty from Carlos Eduardo after only 14 minutes.

Both goals came just moments later in the first half as Peru striker Claudio Pizarro put his side ahead with a header on 18 minutes before Germany defender Per Mertesacker added a second on 22 minutes.

Cologne picked up three more valuable points to pull away from the bottom three and up to 14th after their 1-0 win at home to Mainz while Eintracht Frankfurt beat Hanover 2-1.

Hertha Berlin remain rooted to the bottom of the table, and are now five points from safety, as they were well-beaten 3-0 at fellow relegation candidates Nuremberg.

On Sunday, defending champions Wolfsburg are at home to Borussia Moenchengladbach while Borussia Dortmund are at home to Bochum.

AFP / Reuters