Nuremberg hold Bayern Leverkusen 1-1 in German Bundesliga

Georg Margreitter's second-half equaliser secured newly promoted Nuremberg a 1-1 draw with Bayer Leverkusen in the 13th round of Bundesliga action.

Despite a rain-soaked pitch on Monday, Bayer Leverkusen gained the upper hand on the road and came to their first chances in the opening period when Karim Bellarabi's effort called Nuremberg goalkeeper Fabian Bredlow into action, reports Xinhua news agency.

The visitors rattled the crossbar through Sven Bender before Kevin Volland pulled wide from a promising position moments later. Leverkusen's efforts paid off at the hour mark after Kai Havertz curled the ball from eight meters into the top right corner to break the deadlock.

After the restart, Heiko Herrlich's men continued to work out opportunities but neither Kevin Volland nor Julian Brandt made the most of their chances. However, the hosts restored parity out of the blue as Georg Margreitter benefited from a rebound to hammer home the equalizer with a deflected shot from the edge of the box with 56 minutes played.

"Die Werkself" pressed relentlessly for the winner but their efforts lacked accuracy in the closing period. Nuremberg also had a chance to wrap up the win but Leverkusen keeper Lukas Hradecky denied substitute Adam Zrelak from an acute angle.

With the draw, Bayer Leverkusen climbed to the 13th place on the Bundesliga standings. Meanwhile Nuremberg stay in the 15th position.

--IANS

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