BERLIN, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Freiburg leapfrogged Bayer Leverkusen and will overwinter on the third place of the Bundesliga standings by courtesy of Kevin Schade's late 2-1 winner at the closing of the 17th round on Sunday.
The Breisgauer started powerfully and tested Leverkusen's custodian Lukas Hradecky, who was equal to Nico Schlotterbeck's and Lucas Holer's dangerous efforts early on.
Leverkusen needed time to gain a foothold into the match as Patrik Schick headed over the target following a corner with 18 minutes gone.
The hosts eventually opened the scoring with the great assistance of Leverkusen after Jeremie Frimpong was penalized for handling a cross in the 33rd minute.
Vincenzo Grifo stepped up and converted the subsequent penalty after beating Hradecky with a chipped ball into the center of the goal.
The "Werkself" responded well and increased the pressure to restore parity just before the break as Jonathan Tah's artistic overhead kick allowed Charles Aranguiz to nod home from three meters.
After the restart, Leverkusen gained momentum without doing damage much to Freiburg's well-positioned defense.
Freiburg ceased its offensive actions but was still able to secure the win in the closing stages as Ermedin Demirovic's cross to the near post found joker Schade, who poked home the 2-1 decider ensuring the club's best first half of the season.
"We didn't start well into the clash. Freiburg had a lot of spaces and created too many opportunities. We improved in the second half. Overall, I think a draw would have been deserved," Leverkusen's head coach Gerardo Seoane said.
"I am of course very, very satisfied with the result. We performed well and clinched a deserved victory. We have snatched 29 points and it has never been more points after the first half of the campaign, since I am here," Freiburg's head coach Christian Streich said.
Elsewhere, Cologne wrapped up a last-gasp 1-0 victory over Stuttgart to end the year on a two-game winning streak. Anthony Modeste left it late and headed the winner past hapless goalkeeper Florian Muller to stun Stuttgart with one minute remaining.
The second half of the Bundesliga campaign kicks off on January 8 when leaders Bayern Munich clash with Borussia Monchengladbach. Enditem
