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Keke Topp: It’s great that so many Schalke fans travelled to Hamburg
FC Schalke 04 showed immediately in the first few minutes of their game at the Millerntor-Stadion on Tuesday (7th May) that they were hungry to win the game and secure survival once and for all. The Royal Blues took the lead with less than two minutes on the clock. Captain Simon Terodde chested the ball down to Keke Topp, who calmly swept into the bottom left corner.
15 minutes from time, the forward netted his second of the evening. After latching on to a long ball from Paul Seguin, he skilfully beat Maxwell Gyamfi before finishing into the bottom right corner. This was the final goal of a 4-0 victory, in which Kenan Karaman (5’) and Assan Ouédraogo (65’) also struck.
His fourth and fifth goals of the season also marked his first brace at senior level. It came in the same stadium where the Germany youth international made his first-team debut, against FC St. Pauli on 4th December 2021, back when he was still an U19 player. The striker was however unable to celebrate his double with the fans in the stadium. This was because the game against Osnabrück was played behind closed doors after it was moved to Hamburg due to structural defects in the roof at the Bremer Brücke. “I don’t want to get used to playing without fans,” said Topp.
I don’t want to get used to playing without fans.
However, during the 90 minutes and particularly afterwards, all kinds of fan songs could be heard all around the Millerntor-Stadion. S04 fans had travelled in numbers to support their team from behind closed stadium doors. “It’s great that so many Schalke fans travelled to Hamburg, even though they knew they couldn’t get in the stadium,” said Topp. “I got goosebumps when the fans were singing my name.”
After the final whistle, the fans sang “We want to see the team!” – and the team did indeed come. They carried a sense of relief that survival was finally secured after a difficult season, and a belief that the supporters felt the same. Spectators will be able to watch their team again at the VELTINS-Arena on Saturday (11th May) at 13:00 CEST. Topp and his teammates have a clear aim for the match against Hansa Rostock. “We want to win,” emphasises the 20-year-old. “Because our fans deserve that.”
