Schalke 04 scored points in the relegation battle of the 2nd Bundesliga and put a damper on promotion hopefuls Fortuna Düsseldorf.
After six wins in a row against their western rivals Schalke 04, the Düsseldorf team couldn’t get more than a 1-1 (0-0) draw and missed the chance to significantly reduce the gap to the weakened second-placed Holstein Kiel. In addition, the lead over their pursuers Hamburger SV, who won 4-0 at Eintracht Braunschweig in the afternoon, shrank to four points.
31st matchday arrow right To the live ticker: Schalke – Düsseldorf arrow right
The Royal Blues, who have now been unbeaten for five games, collected another point to stay in the league and improved to eleventh place. The relegation place is five points away.
Referee takes back penalty
Ex-Düsseldorfer Kenan Karaman, of all people, put Schalke in the lead with his eleventh goal of the season (55th), and Ao Tanaka equalized (67th). Shortly before the end, referee Harm Osmers decided on a penalty for Schalke and yellow-red against Düsseldorf’s Joshua Quarshie. However, he revised this after viewing the video images – much to Schalke’s annoyance.
“For me it was a mistake,” said Schalke coach Karel Geraerts on Sky. “There was a small contact, so it wasn’t a clear wrong decision and the VAR shouldn’t have intervened.”
Disjointed initial phase
Schalke coach Karel Geraerts had to do without the injured Derry Murkin, while his counterpart Daniel Thioune was able to rely on top striker Christos Tzolis, who returned after being suspended.
With the newly gained self-confidence from four games in a row without defeat, the Gelsenkirchen team tried to control the game, Fortuna waited for counterattack opportunities. Neither team initially threatened the opponent’s goal. The last pass or cross didn’t arrive, the closer you got to the penalty area, the greater the spread.
Tanaka dusts himself off
Düsseldorf had the first notable chance: Matthias Zimmermann failed with a shot past Schalke keeper Marius Müller (25′). On the other side, Simon Terodde missed the goal with a header (27th). However, the entertainment value of the game remained at a modest level.
After the break, Schalke played forward more determinedly. After a throw-in from Thomas Ouwejan, Terodde put the ball down and Karaman scored from the edge of the penalty area. The guests then increased their attacking efforts and equalized: Jordy de Wijs hit the post with a header, and Tanaka, who came on as a second-half substitute, made the save.
Düsseldorf against Nuremberg, Schalke in Osnabrück
Düsseldorf welcomes 1. FC Nürnberg on matchday 32 (Friday, 6:30 p.m.). Schalke has to play against bottom team Osnabrück (Saturday, 1:00 p.m.).