Darko Churlinov: We need that level of passion against St. Pauli

“It was an incredibly intense game. We had to give everything in order to beat Sandhausen,” reflected Churlinov, who explained that his side had to put in lots of hard work and do lots of running in Friday night’s clash. His team stuck to their task very well. It total, the Schalke players covered a distance of 120,4 kilometres, almost seven more than their opponents across the 90 minutes.

“All our hard work paid off,” said a delighted Churlinov after the game. The striker was also adamant that Terodde’s last-gasp winner and the scenes after the final whistle will give his side the strength they need as the season comes to a climax. He was also quick to point out how much the support from the fans means to the players: “The support was simply incredible. It felt like we were playing at home at times. Our fans were all you could hear.”

The fans played a crucial part in the injury time winner, explained Schalke’s number seven. “The fans helped us push as hard as we could. They carried us over the line and made sure we got that last minute winner.” The Royal Blues have the momentum as attention turns to Saturday’s clash with St. Pauli. “We need that level of passion against St. Pauli. We need to show the same drive and commitment. This is quite simply a huge game,” said Churlinov.