Tense clash ends 1-1 after penalty overturned in injury time

Topp back in the starting XI

Karel Geraerts made one change to the side that drew with SV Elversberg last week, as striker Keke Topp came into the starting line-up in place of the injured Derry John Murkin. The Royal Blues set up in a 4-4-2 formation, with Thomas Ouwejan starting at left-back and Yusuf Kabadayi in midfield.

Few noteworthy opportunities in first half

It took Schalke less than a minute to have their first shot of the game, but Düsseldorf keeper Florian Kastenmeier wasn’t troubled by Simon Terodde’s effort. The Royal Blues kept plugging away in search of an opener over the course of the first ten minutes, but were unable to find the space they needed in the opposition’s ranks to create clear-cut chances.

The opportunities that Schalke had didn’t cause too many problems for Fortuna. The away side were having an even quieter game in front of goal, but had the best opportunity of the half just after the 25-minute mark. After some nice passing play, the ball landed at Matthias Zimmermann’s feet on the right side of the Schalke penalty area. The full-back’s shot from close range took a deflection off a Schalke defender, but a sharp save from Marius Müller kept the scores level.

It would be a while until either goalkeeper was called into action again, as the game became a more attritional affair in the middle of the park. Both teams were flying into the tackle in their efforts to win back possession, but scoring opportunities proved hard to come by as the first half wore on at the VELTINS-Arena. S04 would have the final chance to put their noses in front before the half-time whistle, as Ron Schallenberg cut inside and let fly from the edge of the box. The midfielder’s connection was not perfect, however, and his effort went wide of the post (43’).

Frantic end to the game

In contrast to the first half, Fortuna had the first sight at goal after both sides emerged from the dressing rooms. Vincent Vermeij rose highest in the box to meet Appelkamp’s corner, but his header was straight at Marius Müller (46’).

Kenan Karaman went one better for the home side shortly afterwards. Simon Terodde controlled a throw-in from Thomas Ouwejan nicely and laid the ball off to S04’s number 19. The Turkish international chested the ball down before smashing the ball past Kastenmeier from 18 yards out to make it 1-0 to the Royal Blues in the 55th minute.

The lead was short-lived, however. Following a corner, Jordy De Wijs’ header hit the post, before substitute Ao Tanaka reacted quickest to convert the rebound and restore parity (67’). There was a VAR check for a possible offside, but the goal stood. The dangerous Christos Tzolis had the chance to put Müller to the test again a few minutes later, but the Schalke keeper was able to palm the striker’s attempt away from danger (74’). S04’s man between the sticks was also in place to deny Emmanuel Iyoha a couple of minutes later.

The closing stages of the game were hectic, as both sides did everything in their power to get another goal and come away with the three points. The Royal Blues took advantage of the five minutes added on to carve out some promising opportunities. Assan Ouédraogo had to dive to get his head to Steven van der Sloot’s cross, but the 17-year-old’s effort was inches away from putting Schalke ahead. Ouédraogo was also at the heart of the match’s dramatic climax. The midfielder appeared to be tripped in the box by Joshua Quarshie and the referee awarded a penalty for the Knappen. Unfortunately, the decision was overturned following a VAR check and the sides shared the points in Gelsenkirchen.

An anniversary game at the Bremer Brücke

VfL Osnabrück are S04’s next opponents. The Royal Blues will take on the Purple-Whites on Saturday (4/5), which also happens to be FC Schalke 04’s 120th anniversary. The game at the Bremer Brücke is scheduled to kick off at 13:00 CEST.