S04 beaten 2-0 in Bochum

Debut for new signing Dejan Ljubičić

Head coach Miron Muslic made three changes to the team that drew 2-2 at home against 1. FC Kaiserslautern a week ago (25/1). Dejan Ljubičić, who joined the club at the start of the week from Dinamo Zagreb, came into the starting XI, along with Mika Wallentowitz and Felipe Sanchez. They replaced Amin Younes and Finn Porath (both on the bench), plus Hasan Kuruçay after he picked up his fifth yellow card of the season against the Red Devils.

Early shock after 42 seconds

The Royal Blues were caught cold right at the start of the match. A long ball was played out towards the left and Gerrit Holtmann then delivered it into the penalty area, allowing Koji Miyoshi to convert and make it 1-0 to Bochum after just 42 seconds (1’). It was an early shock, but Schalke recovered quickly and began to look for their own way forward, initially without creating any real chances. Instead, Gerrit Holtmann tried his luck from distance a few minutes later, but his effort rolled harmlessly through to goalkeeper Loris Karius (9’).

Schalke’s first real attacking move then followed. Kenan Karaman caught the VfL defence out with a clever through ball into the box, which Mika Wallentowitz ran onto, but his shot drifted narrowly wide of the far post (10’). Shortly afterwards, Bochum’s Cajetan Lenz went for goal from around 20 yards out, but Loris Karius gathered the ball low to his right (13′).

After a free-kick from Soufiane El-Faouzi, Nikola Katic went up for a header against two opponents and was subsequently caught on the head by a boot (17’). The Schalke centre-back required treatment on the pitch for several minutes, but referee Michael Bacher did not consider the incident to be a foul.

The next effort again fell to the hosts. Breaking quickly on the counter, Gerrit Holtmann surged forward down the left and tested Loris Karius, who pushed the ball away to the side. Nikola Katic then cleared behind for a corner with Koji Miyoshi lurking nearby (21’). Bochum subsequently controlled their lead, while Schalke continued to look for openings after winning the ball back. A long ball into the box was chased down by Christian Gomis, but his shot from a tight angle flew over the VfL goal (31’).

Gerrit Holtmann remained involved in almost every dangerous Bochum attack, including the next one. After a quick one-two, the left winger drove into the Schalke penalty area and fired straight at Loris Karius (35’). Then came another setback for S04 just before the break. After winning possession near their own penalty area, Bochum moved the ball quickly out to Gerrit Holtmann, whose cross this time found Philipp Hofmann. His first-time finish flew in under the crossbar to make it 2-0 for Bochum (43’).

Two Schalke goals ruled out

Striker Edin Džeko came on for the second half, with Mika Wallentowitz making way. The Royal Blues showed they were determined to fight their way back into game. The first sign of intent came from Kenan Karaman, who ran at the Bochum defenders after winning the ball high up the pitch but failed to beat goalkeeper Timo Horn with his shot (52’). Christian Gomis then failed to strike the rebound cleanly.

The ball was then in the back of the Bochum net: Nikola Katic headed a corner from Soufiane El-Faouzi into the goal in front of goalkeeper Timo Horn, but referee Michael Bacher immediately blew his whistle for an alleged foul on the keeper (55’). As a result, VAR had no opportunity to correct the wrong decision and the scoreline remained 2-0.

Just after the hour mark, VfL also made their presence felt in the second half. Callum Marshall was sent through on the counter, but his shot from the edge of the penalty area went just wide of the far post (61’). Meanwhile, Schalke took more and more control of the game and pinned Bochum back in their own half. Despite all their dominance, the Royal Blues almost made a costly mistake: Mertcan Ayhan slipped while with the ball at his feet in his own half, allowing Felix Passlack to run through one-on-one with Loris Karius. At the last moment, Nikola Katic slid in to block the shot and cleared the ball for a corner (69’).

With Amin Younes replacing Christian Gomis, head coach Miron Muslic introduced fresh attacking impetus after 70 minutes – and the visitors continued to apply heavy pressure. Edin Džeko tried his luck from 19 yards, but Timo Horn held on safely (73’). Schalke then thought they had pulled one back as Kenan Karaman struck home from a central position 20 yards out into the bottom right corner, but Edin Džeko had handled the ball in the build-up. Referee Michael Bacher reviewed the incident on the monitor and ruled the goal out (76’).

Just moments after the VAR check, Bochum celebrated what they thought was a third goal, but VfL’s Marcel Sobottka had also handled the ball in the build-up and the goal was immediately ruled out (80’). In the end, despite five minutes of added time, Schalke were unable to find a way through the Bochum defence, and the match ended in a 2-0 win for the hosts.

Dynamo Dresden at home

FC Schalke 04’s next game is in a week’s time against Dynamo Dresden. Kick-off at the VELTINS-Arena on Saturday (7/2) will again be at 13:00 CET. Dynamo, currently second bottom, host Arminia Bielefeld tomorrow (1/2). Miron Muslic’s side recorded a narrow 1-0 win in Dresden in the first half of the season.