S04 celebrate 4-0 win at home against Osnabrück

Three changes to the starting line-up – Brunner returns to the XI, van der Sloot in squad for the first time

Karel Geraerts made three changes to his XI following last weekend’s defeat in Düsseldorf: Paul Seguin, Tobias Mohr and Simon Terodde started in place of Thomas Ouwejan (not in squad), Lino Tempelmann (bench) and Dominick Drexler (muscle strain). Cedric Brunner returned to the 20-man matchday squad for the first time since late September following groin issues, while U23s defender Steven van der Sloot was included in the matchday squad for the first time.

Wiemann scores an own goal

The Royal Blues enjoyed more of the ball in the opening minutes and nearly took the lead in the 5th minute. A long throw-in from Henning Matriciani was flicked on by Bryan Lasme, as Terodde sent the ball just inches wide of the far post from just inside the five-yard box.

Osnabrück were defending deep and posing problems for Schalke’s attack, who had to work hard to find gaps to exploit. Paul Seguin’s shot from 12 metres out was blocked (18′), but the midfielder was soon involved in helping the Royal Blues take the lead. His corner found the head of Marcin Kaminski, as his attempt bounced off defender Niklas Wiemann and into the back of the net (21′).

Several chances for Terodde

Schalke continued to dominate the game, but weren’t able to turn their dominance into chances on goal. Terodde sent a header just wide of the target in the 30th minute, after a cross from Derry John Murkin. Seven minutes later, the striker had another go, but had to watch as his header from a Seguin cross went over the bar.

Osnabrück’s only chance in the opening half came from John Verhoek, but his header lacked precision and went wide of Ralf Fährmann’s goal. Terodde had a chance to double Schalke’s advantage just before the break, but was unable to get on the end of a cross from Murkin. The hosts headed into the break with a narrow 1-0 lead.

Seguin makes it 2-0 – Terodde adds to scoreline from the spot

The Royal Blues remained unchanged after the interval and didn’t need long to double their advantage. Goalkeeper Lennart Grill first saved a header from Lasme that looked as though it was going in (47′) but would be helpless a few minutes later. Murkins switched the play with a diagonal pass from the left side to the right, with Mohr cleverly leaving it for Seguin. The midfielder dribbled into the box and placed his shot into the bottom left corner, out of reach for Grill (48′).

Shortly after the hour mark, Terodde would strike a third time for Schalke. The striker was struck on the leg by Wiemann, with VAR awarding a penalty. The captain stepped up and coolly converted his spot kick, sending Grill the wrong way (63′).

Karaman nets Schalke's fourth of the night – Comeback for Brunner

The next chance belonged to Keke Topp, who had come on to replace Lasme, but Grill was able to get to it (64′). At the other end, Verhoek missed a backheel that could have gotten Osnabrück on the board. Instead, it was the Royal Blues who would be celebrating once more. Karaman was able to bury his header in the left corner after a cross from Mohr to make it 4-0 (70′).

In the 73rd minute, Brunner was able to celebrate his comeback after more than two months on the sideline as he came in for Matriciani. The final quarter of an hour saw the speed of the game falter, with only a handful of chances for the hosts. Mohr attempted a shot from a tight angle in the 80th minute, but it wasn’t on target. Topp then had a shot blocked by Maxwell Gyamfi shortly before the end of normal time, while VfL’s Florian Bähr was denied by Fährmann at the death (90′). After five additional minutes, referee Florian Bauer signalled the end of the match, as Schalke celebrated a vital 4-0 win at home.

Away in Rostock

Schalke’s final away game of the year will see them travel north to face Hansa Rostock on Sunday (10/12, 13:30 CET).