Early Kuruçay goal hands Schalke 1-0 win over Elversberg

First start for Wallentowitz

Miron Muslic made three changes to the starting XI. Finn Porath replaced the suspended Adrian Gantenbein who was booked for the fifth time this season in the game against Karlsruhe. Mika Wallentowitz lined up ahead of him. It was the home-grown U19 talent’s first start for the Royal Blues. Wallentowitz had appeared as a substitute in the previous two league matches against Darmstadt and Karlsruhe. He took Amin Younes’ place in the team, as the midfielder was not named in the squad due to thigh problems.

Hasan Kuruçay was also back amongst the starters. The centre-back missed the game against Karlsruhe after feeling unwell during the warm-up. Felipe Sanchez made way for him. Another two members of the U19s – Ayman Gulasi and Mika Khadr – were named in the squad for the first time in a competitive match. Both players have appeared regularly for Schalke’s U23 side this season.

Schalke’s number 4 scores in the 04th minute

The Royal Blues burst out of the blocks and got off to the perfect start. Hasan Kuruçay, Schalke’s number 4, made it 1-0 in the 4th minute of the match. The centre-back had pushed up for a Mika Wallentowitz throw-in which Elversberg initially managed to clear. Mertcan Ayhan played a long ball forward towards Moussa Sylla in the box, who flicked it on to an unmarked Kuruçay. The defender stayed calm and composed in front of goal, slotting the ball into the bottom-left corner with a real striker’s finish.

SVE weren’t rattled by the early goal. Last season’s third-placed team looked determined to provide an immediate response and quickly began to put Schalke under pressure with their build-up play. As usual, though, S04’s solid defence was up to the task and did not give the Saarland side an inch in dangerous areas of the pitch. As a result, the most prolific attack in the 2. Bundesliga could not get much going in the first 45 despite a few promising passes in behind.

The Royal Blues threatened to extend their lead a couple of times, exploiting the opposition’s high pressing to hit them on the counterattack. With 22 minutes on the clock, Kenan Karaman latched onto the ball following an aerial duel between Moussa Sylla and SVE captain Lukas Pinckert. Schalke’s captain made a beeline for the box and let fly from an acute angle. He could only find the side netting with his shot, however. Less than four minutes later, the visitors were under the cosh again. Ron Schallenberg found Mertcan Ayhan at the back post with a cross from midfield. The defender cut the ball back to his centre-back partner Hasan Kuruçay who tried his luck again from around 13 yards out. His effort beat keeper Nicolas Kristof but was blocked on the line by Maximilian Rohr. The goal would not have counted anyway, with the referee indicating that there had been a foul in the build-up.

Elversberg also had a promising opportunity that would have been ruled out between the two Schalke chances. Younes Ebnoutalib, the current top scorer in second tier, forced Loris Karius into making a great reflex save with his header in the 24th minute, though he was standing in a marginally offside position. In the closing stages of the first half, the Royal Blues ended up in front of goal again after SVE lost possession. Mika Wallentowitz tried to get a shot off with his back to goal but didn’t connect with the ball well enough to trouble the keeper (37’). Shortly before half-time, Moussa Sylla attempted to double S04’s lead in spectacular style with an overhead kick. The Mali international also didn’t get a good enough connection on Kenan Karaman’s cross.

Schalke keep things tight at the back

Miron Muslic opted to send the same side out for the second 45, with S04 picking up where they left off and continuing to apply pressure. They had the ball in the opposition box once again, though Kenan Karaman and Hasan Kuruçay were unable to combine and create a clear-cut chance. At the other end of the pitch, the visitors dominated possession but couldn’t turn it to their advantage since Nikola Katic and his fellow defenders didn’t give them a sniff.

Shortly before the hour mark, SVE shot-stopper Nicolas Kristof was called into action again. After Kenan Karaman laid the ball off to Soufiane El-Faouzi with a backheel, the midfielder sent Moussa Sylla through on goal. The weight of the pass was slightly off, however, so Nicolas was able to get to the ball before Schalke’s talisman (58’). He was also in the right place at the right time shortly after that, as he tipped Finn Porath’s effort over the crossbar. Almost directly after that, Bambase Conté let fly from a promising position. Elversberg’s number 10 ended up smashing the ball over the frame of the goal (62’).

After that, SVE turned up the heat. Lukas Petkov had a go from the edge of the box in the 71st minute. His shot would turn out to be harmless and flew comfortably wide of the right post. Two minutes later, the ball was in the back of the Schalke net. Younes Ebnoutalib latched onto a pass from Conté and placed the ball into the top left corner. The linesman’s flag went straight up, however, since the striker was clearly in an offside position. VAR saw no reason to reverse the official’s original decision.

Henning Matriciani replaced Finn Porath, who picked up a knock at the start of a back-and-forth final 15 minutes, celebrating his first appearance of the season in the process. Both sides scrapped for every ball. In the nine minutes of added time, Miron Muslic made three further defensive changes in Anton Donkor, Felipe Sanchez and Max Grüger. The three new men immediately had to contend with a dicey situation. Jairzinho Malanga got a shot off from around 19 yards out, but it fortunately ended up in the roof of the net. Loris Karius judged the trajectory correctly and made sure not to get a touch on the ball before it went out. By the time the final whistle blew, S04 had successfully managed to defend their slender lead. At the end of the match, the final score of 1-0 to the Royal Blues was illuminated on the video screens at the VELTINS-Arena.

Special friendly for Twente anniversary

There won’t be any action in the 2. Bundesliga next weekend due to the third international break of the season. The Royal Blues will use the break from competitive fixtures for a very special fixture. On Thursday (13/11), Schalke will travel to face off against FC Twente to mark the 60th anniversary of the Dutch team’s foundation. The match at the Stadion De Grolsch Veste in Enschede is due to kick off at 19:30 CET.