Schalke and Hertha split points in Gelsenkirchen

One change to the starting XI

Interim head coach Jakob Fimpel made one alteration to the side that beat Preußen Münster. Christopher Antwi-Adjei, who was brought on just after the hour mark in the Royal Blues’ last match, started in place of Mehmet Can Aydin.

Perfect response to early setback

Both sides got down to business from the word go. The referee brandished the first yellow card two minutes in after Marton Dardai’s foul on Moussa Sylla. The Royal Blues received a wake-up call in the ninth minute. Former Schalke full-back Jonjoe Kenny played a pass down the right flank to Michael Cuisance. The midfielder looked to have been brought down in the box by Derry John Murkin but recovered quickly and found the back of the net to give Hertha the lead.

S04 weren’t fazed by the early goal, however, and looked eager to hit back. Moussa Sylla’s goal-bound effort was blocked by captain Kenan Karaman, with Ron Schallenberg putting the rebound wide (12’). Shortly afterwards, Moussa Sylla and Hertha defender Deyovaisio Zeefuik came together in the box, but the referee waved away appeals for a penalty. The away side continued to create opportunities on the break, with another chance falling to Michael Cuisance. This time, however, his effort went wide. A minute later, Pascal Klemens tried his luck, but his shot was too central and Schalke keeper Justin Heekeren gathered the ball easily (19’).

Then, the Royal Blues hit back – twice. Kenan Karaman and Amin Younes played a clever one-two on the edge of the box, and Schalke’s captain curled the ball beautifully into the top corner to level things up again (24’). Just after the half-an-hour mark, Derry John Murkin found himself on the ball after a short corner and whipped a ball into the box. The cross missed everyone at first, but Tobias Mohr picked the ball up and found the back of the net despite the chaos to complete the turnaround (33’).

Things almost got even better for the home side. Taylan Bulut’s long ball forward found an unmarked Derry John Murkin. The Englishman tried to dink Hertha keeper Tjark Ernst, but his effort went just wide (39’). Taylan Bulut tried to take matters into his own hands two minutes later, but his shot flew over the bar (41’).

Hertha equalise from the spot

After the restart, the guests pressed to level things up. Pascal Klemens (48’) and Jon Thorsteinsson (53’) both saw yellow for fouls. Ibrahim Maza latched onto a corner, but Tomas Kalas managed to block his effort at the last second to preserve the home side’s lead (54’). Justin Heekeren injured his foot while clearing the ball but returned to action after receiving treatment (57’).

The Royal Blues tried to catch Hertha off-guard with quick counterattacks but struggled to infiltrate the opposition’s penalty area. Jakob Fimpel made his first substitution of the game after an hour of play, as Lino Tempelmann replaced Christopher Antwi-Adjei to make his comeback after a long injury layoff (60’). BSC continued to threaten, however, as Kevin Sessa’s header from a corner flew just over the bar (64’).

Hertha would find an equaliser shortly afterwards. Ron Schallenberg’s tackle on Pascal Klemens was judged to be a foul by the referee, who awarded the away team a penalty. Substitute Smail Prevljak stepped up and converted the spot kick to make it 2-2 (72’). With the game levelled up once again, both sides sought to have the last laugh and pushed for a winner. Fimpel turned to Anton Donkor, Emil Højlund and Bryan Lasme to make a difference in the closing stages. With the exception of Anton Donkor’s header that was saved by Ernst in injury time, there weren’t many chances, and the two sides had to settle for a draw.

Friendly in Aarau

There will be no 2. Bundesliga fixtures next weekend due to the second international break of the weekend. In order to stay match fit, the Royal Blues will play a friendly against Swiss second-division side FC Aarau. FC Schalke 04’s partner club are celebrating the 100-year anniversary of their Brügglifeld stadium and have invited the Royal Blues to the event. The match will kick off at 17:00 CEST on Saturday (12/10).