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Karel Geraerts: We can be happy tonight, but our focus turns to Nürnberg tomorrow
THE VELTINS-Arena was full of happy faces after Schalke’s 5-1 win over Eintracht Braunschweig on Saturday night (3/8). Head coach Geraerts was also satisfied with the matchday 1 victory, unlike his opposite number Daniel Scherning. Captain Kenan Karaman and Justin Heekeren also spoke to the media after the game.
Karel Geraerts:
I saw a good Schalke side out there for the first 25 to 30 minutes. We played high up the pitch and knocked the ball about nicely. However, the final 15 minutes of the first half weren’t so good and we had problems with Eintracht. Braunschweig moved about more during this period. We barely gave them any space after the break and we took the chances when they came. We were really clinical. I’m pleased that we kept going after making it 3-1 and didn’t just try and defend. 5-1 is a fantastic result for both us and our fans. Nonetheless, we have to keep our feet on the ground. We have only picked up three points, nothing more than that. We can be happy tonight, but our focus turns to Nürnberg tomorrow.
Daniel Scherning:
First of all, congratulations to Karel Geraerts and FC Schalke 04. They fully deserved to win today. We had a good chance to take the lead early on, but Justin Heekeren made a great save. The resulting corner then led to Schalke’s first goal. The way we defended at times simply wasn’t good enough for the second division. Sometimes you just have to get rid of the ball when it’s in a dangerous position. Despite that, we fought back well after going 2-0 down and found a way back into the game with our goal. We had a good period up until the 70th minute and had the chance to equalise too. We weren’t decisive enough in our box again in the final quarter of an hour. We could have defended better for all five of their goals.
Kenan Karaman:
It was a really good performance by us. We were dominant from the first whistle and forced them to make mistakes. It’s no secret that I love scoring in front of the Nordkurve. The fact I managed to twice tonight makes me really happy. The coach set us up perfectly. The atmosphere at the VELTINS-Arena was amazing. It’s important that we keep both feet on the ground despite all the joy this evening. We’ve got a tough away game coming up next week at Nürnberg. We will have to put in another focused performance.
Justin Heekeren:
I’m delighted with how tonight went. We can enjoy the win this evening, but we have to come back down to earth tomorrow and focus on preparing for the trip to Nürnberg. The fact I was able to set up our first goal is amazing and it wasn’t a coincidence either. We scored a goal in a similar way in the tournament in Meppen from one of my long balls. Paul Seguin even said to me before the game that I’d get an assist – thankfully he was right (laughs). Thorben wished me good luck before the game and was happy for me afterwards as well. We have a good relationship. Ultimately though, only one of us can play.
