Amine Harit gritted his teeth

The Royal-Blues had made all their substitutions and so would’ve had to finish the match with 10 men. Like a true warrior, Harit gritted his teeth and jogged back onto the pitch. The score in the match was 4-2. “I couldn’t really run,” said Harit, “but it was important to get back on the pitch to help my team. I wanted to contribute and was confident we could still get something out of the game.”

Funny game, football. First Daniel Caligiuri in the 86th then Naldo in stoppage time – Schalke equalised to make it 4-4. “It was simply unbelievable,” enthuses Harit, who received big praise from his teammates. “Amine could barely run. He gave everything for the team,” said Caligiuri. Sporting director Christian Heidel continued, “The boys showed incredible mentality today. Everyone fought for each other – they never gave up.”

Harit used the Sunday off to recuperate and reflect on his first Revierderby. He won’t just be remembering the game for its incredible comeback. His goal marked Amine’s first in a Schalke shirt. It reinvigorated belief in the comeback and spurred the Royal-Blues on. Domenico Tedesco: “It was the moment we really started believing.”

Harit is already focusing on the task ahead despite his joy. “I think I should be back for the Köln match,” said the 20-year old. “We have a really important run of games before Christmas and we want to push on now.”