BERLIN (Reuters):

BUNDESLIGA LEADERS Schalke 04 faltered once again yesterday, extending their winless streak to four games with a 1-1 draw at Hanover 96.

Hali gave Schalke the lead in the second minute, deflecting a Mesut Oezil free kick past Hanover goalkeeper Robert Enke.

Michael Tarnat got the equaliser two minutes later, tapping in a rebound after a hard shot by Hanno Balitsch hit the post.

"It was a fair result if you look at the whole match," said Schalke coach Mirko Slomka. "I thought we were stronger in the first half. We fought hard in the second half but in the end were a bit lucky."

Schalke have just two points from their past four matches and a total of 50. Searching for their first league championship since 1958, they led by six points four weeks ago after a six-match winning streak catapulted them in front of the pack.

The leaders were again missing their Brazilian playmaker Lincoln, sitting out a five-match suspension for a red card received for punching Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Bernd Schneider last month.

Second-placed Werder Bremen visit Bayern Munich today. Werder have 46 points, while fourth-placed Bayern, on 43, are riding high after two successive league wins and their Champions League victory over Real Madrid.

Champions Bayern were 12 points behind Schalke three weeks ago and had all but written off their title aspirations until Schalke's unexpected stumble.

Third-placed VfB Stuttgart also slipped again, held to a goalless draw at home to VfL Wolfsburg. Stuttgart have just two points from their past three league matches.

It was a costly match for Stuttgart, with striker Mario Gomez suffering a torn ligament in his left knee and facing six weeks on the sidelines. Gomez is the Bundesliga's top scorer with 13 goals and has been a key factor in Stuttgart's campaign this season.

"That's depressing for me and is bitter for us all," said Stuttgart coach Armin Veh. Gomez will also miss Germany's Euro 2008 qualifier on March 24 against the Czech Republic in Prague.