Clinical Schalke put five past Nürnberg

Oczipka returns, Skrzybski gets the nod

Coach Domenico Tedesco had to compensate for the injuries to attacking duo Breel Embolo and Mark Uth, opting to give chances to Amine Harit and Steven Skrzybski, with the latter starting a Schalke game for the first time. There were two other changes to the line-up as well. Bastian Oczipka made his long-awaited comeback after six months out injured, replacing Alessandro Schöpf at left back, while Sebastian Rudy was preferred to Suat Serdar in midfield.

Three first-half goals

It was a fairly open game with a brilliant atmosphere in Gelsenkirchen – the supporters celebrated the special fan friendship between the two clubs ahead of kick-off with a breathtaking tifo. There were chances for the spectators to enjoy too. The Royal Blues could have had a comfortable lead inside quarter of an hour if not for Nürnberg keeper Christian Mathenia. He showed superb reactions to twice keep out Guido Burgstaller from close range and parried a thunderous shot from Amine Harit to safety too.

Ralf Fährmann also had to be on his toes. He denied Mikael Ishak at his near post after 19 minutes, although he may not have been able to intervene had Hanno Behrens’ strike found the right side of the upright.

A goal was the only thing missing from the game and Schalke finally found a way past Mathenia in the 27th minute. In fact, it was a mistake from the FCN shot-stopper that opened the door. Steven Skrzybski was the happy benefactor, nipping in ahead of Mathenia’s attempted clearance to leave a simple finish into an open net for his first Bundesliga goal. Only five minutes later, S04 struck again. Skrzybski just failed to connect with a header from Burgstaller’s cross, but the ball kindly ran through to Amine Harit, who couldn’t miss.

The Royal Blues were unable to see out their 2-0 lead until the break, however. The easy finish fell Nürnberg’s way this time, much to the dismay of Fährmann, who had done brilliantly to keep out Ishak, only for the rebound to drop perfectly at Federico Palacios’ feet. FCN were dealt a blow before half time though, with Mathenia forced off with a foot injury and replaced in goal by Fabian Bredlow.

Skrzybski scores again, perfect comeback for Oczipka

Schalke continued to be on top after the break. Just a couple of minutes into the second half, Steven Skrzybski drilled the ball into the side netting. That was followed by a chance for Guido Burgstaller, but he missed his kick after good work from Nabil Bentaleb. Burgstaller then had another opportunity after Harit pulled the ball back, but he fired wide.

There was drama in the 67th minute when Robert Bauer received his second yellow for a foul on Harit and shortly afterwards, Schalke regained their two-goal advantage. Daniel Caligiuri took a shot from distance, and Burgstaller added a decisive deflection with his left foot.

The game wasn’t over, however, and the visitors pulled another goal back in the 78th minute. Benjamin Stambouli misjudged a long ball and Hanno Behrens took advantage, racing through on goal, before hitting both posts. The ball bounced out once again and Adam Zrelak was on hand to give the away side a glimmer of hope. Fortunately, that glimmer did not last long. Just seven minutes later, Caligiuri drove forward once again and crossed for Skrzybski to stroke home his second of the game. The fun didn’t end there for Schalke fans, as Bastian Oczipka marked his comeback with a long-distance strike in injury time.

Two away games: First Porto, then Hoffenheim

Schalke have seven competitive games left between now and Christmas. The first of these is against Porto in the Champions League on Wednesday (21:00 CET). The Royal Blues’ next Bundesliga fixture is the following Saturday, when they visit TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (18:30 CET).