Bundesliga Kickoff: Stuttgart v Schalke 04

Unfortunately I was only able to catch the second half of this game, but thankfully it was the better half.  Schalke scored the opener on a deflection off a defender, carrying a 1-0 lead to the break.  Stuttgart tied the game on a Sami Khedira strike which curled under a diving Neuer into the lower-left corner of the net.  Just minutes later, on another wonderful piece of attacking football from Stuttgart, Neuer expertly blocked a shot from Cacau, only to chase the attacking player to the rebound and giving up a penaltyin the process.  Mexican Pavel Pardo converted, tricking Neuer into diving the wrong way, to give Stuttgart the lead at 2-1.  But Schalke 04 manager Mirko Slomka correctly subbed Kobiashvili for Ivan Rakitic in the 70th minute, who scored the equalizer in the 76th minute.  The intense form continued for the remainder of the match but ended in a draw.  Neuer looked okay in goal but the Schalke defense will have to improve if they hold hopes of winning the league against strong competition such as Bayern and Stuttgart.