Leverkusen's title defense on life support after St. Pauli draw

Bayer Leverkusen were held to a 1-1 draw at St. Pauli on Sunday, leaving Bayern Munich needing just five points from their remaining four games to win the Bundesliga title.

Leverkusen took the lead when Alex Grimaldo floated in a free kick and Patrik Schick did the rest, jumping high to score after 32 minutes.

The visitors however shut up shop in the second half, allowing Pauli to grab hold of the match, laying siege to Leverkusen's goal.

Morgan Guilavogui's 74th-minute strike looked to have levelled things up, but it was chalked off for handball. The hosts kept pushing and scored just three minutes later, Carlo Boukhalfa tapping in after Lukas Hradecky spilled a corner.

The result leaves Bayern eight clear of Leverkusen, with four games remaining. Bayern need just five points and can wrap things up as early as next week, if they win and Leverkusen lose.

Leverkusen also have other concerns, with reports that manager Xabi Alonso, who took the club to their first-ever German title last season, could be on his way to Real Madrid in the summer.

Despite their lowly league position, St. Pauli's success this season has been built on a sturdy defence, with only Bayern and Leverkusen conceding fewer goals.