FC Schalke 04 have found the right virtues for the decisive phase in the Bundesliga relegation battle. The hard-fought draw in the district derby against BVB was further evidence of this.
These were entirely new feelings for Kenan Karaman. In his 14th appearance for Schalke, the offensive player scored for his team for the first time. It wasn’t just any goal, it was the deciding factor in the draw against title hopefuls and eternal rivals Borussia Dortmund, plus a wonderful header that couldn’t be defended by BVB keeper Alexander Meyer.
“The ball was in the air for a really long time. I hit it well and put it in the opposite direction. It was my first goal for Schalke and it was in the derby. That’s how you can shoot yourself into the hearts of Schalke.”said Karaman about his moment of happiness.
Ferryman braces himself against Dortmund superiority
To single out the goalscorer and Joker Karaman on the Schalke side would not do it justice. Marius Bülter also played well on offense, not only scoring the first derby goal against Dortmund in more than eight hours of play, but also preparing Karaman’s second goal with a top cross.
But the way defenders Henning Matriciani and Maya Yoshida threw themselves into Dortmund’s shots in the final minutes showed all the energy currently in the Schalke team.
Schalke joy: Kenan Karaman, Ralf Fährmann and Marius Bülter
Ralf Fährmann also delivered an above-average performance in the S04 goal on his mature days and kept his team in the game with class saves, especially in the first half, in which Dortmund were overwhelmingly superior.
Schalke coach Reis and his moments of pleasure
Schalke didn’t let themselves be thrown off course by this Dortmund superiority and the two deficits. In the end it was just a point in the relegation battle, but a “felt victory” for Schalke, who had lost all of the past five derbies.
“Dortmund were superior to us in terms of football, we have to acknowledge that. But when you come back like this, then you enjoy it.”said coach Thomas Reis.”
“Great cohesion in the dressing room”
Enjoying football again – that wasn’t the case at Schalke for a long time. At the end of January on the 17th day of the game, the Gelsenkirchen team was still a long way behind in the last place in the table after a humiliating 1:6 at home against RB Leipzig with only nine points.
Even after the resignation of sports director Rouven Schröder and the dismissal of trainer Frank Kramer at the end of October, the mood at Schalke Markt was in the basement and plans for further relegation were already in the drawer.
But despite the first setbacks, Thomas Reis apparently used the break during the World Cup and the winter break to turn the crucial screws and form a team that by no means belongs in the 2nd division. In any case, Schalke crawled and got back on track step by step.
They have now been unbeaten in seven Bundesliga games and have climbed to fifth place in the second-half table. But what gives hope for another year in the Bundesliga is the attitude and passion that also distinguished the “Royal Blues” in the Revierderby. “We have a great team spirit in the dressing room”said goalscorer Karaman after the duel against BVB.
Fans could become a decisive factor in the relegation battle
And as is well known, Schalke have a fan base behind them, which could also be a big factor in the relegation battle “The fans created a brutal atmosphere and pushed us a lot. Then there’s the confidence that we’ve built up. We have the belief that we can always come back and you could see that today“said striker Marius Bülter.
And the Dortmunders? For them it was the second “downer” within five days after the end of the Champions League last Tuesday (March 7th, 2023). It is understandable that the anger in the black and yellow, who previously celebrated eight wins in a row in the Bundesliga, was greater.
“We already mentioned before the game that there are two options for this game: either we get involved in Schalke’s emotional and passionate game, then it will be tight. Or we stay clear and try to win this game in terms of football. We did really well in the first half.”said BVB coach Edin Terzic.
Of course, Borussia should have made more of their superiority and led more than by a goal. Finally, they continued their class performance of the previous weeks, especially in the first round. In the second half, however, BVB took it a bit too easy and didn’t keep up the pace.
Schlotterbeck and the anger about the goals conceded
Edin Terzic: “Then it got wild and just how Schalke wanted it to be. In the end we gave up the win.”
BVB national player Nico Schlottbeck, who managed to give Dortmund the lead with a shot worth seeing, also reacted somewhat dejectedly: “After the way the game went, you have to accept that they’re celebrating the result now. You can’t concede two goals here.”said Schlotterbeck.
Now it’s time for BVB to take a break and lick their wounds. Next Saturday (March 18th, 2023) it will continue, then 1. FC Köln will come to the next west duel.