Leverkusen, Schalke win in German Bundesliga 19th round

Schalke approach a UEFA Champions League berth for next season as they beat 10-man Wolfsburg 2-1 in the race for Europe.

The "Royal Blues" ensured a bright start into the match as Felipe Santana accidentally deflected an effort by Kevin Boateng past Wolfsburg keeper Diego Benaglio in the 9th minute.

Schalke failed to add another goal in the first half, meanwhile Wolfsburg lacked in penetration. Things went from bad to worse for the "Wolves" at the second half when Daniel Caligiuri saw a straight red card for dissent at the 50th minute.

However, Wolfsburg refused to give up and punished Schalke's poor chance conversion in the 65th minute when Maximilian Arnold exploited a rebound from close range to level the scores.

Schalke responded nine minutes before the final whistle through Kevin Boateng, whose low shot into the bottom left sealed three points for his side.

Jens Keller's men climb from 5th to 4th position with 34 points while Wolfsburg stay on 6th place with 30 points.

Elsewhere, South Koreas international Park Joo-Ho and Koo Ja-Cheol helped Mainz to secure a 2-0 win over Freiburg.

Hannover's Mame Biram Diouf donated a brace within eight minutes to ensure a 3-1 victory over Monchengladbach. It is the second straight loss for the "Foals" this season.

Augsburg extended their unbeaten streak to seven matches as they beat ten men Werder Bremen 3-1 following a comeback and, Hamburg slump deeper into the relegation battle as Hoffenheim inflict the "Rothosen" their fifth straight loss following a 3-0.

The following fixtures close the 19th round Sunday: Berlin host Nuremberg and German record champions Bayern Munich see Frankfurt.