The first step on a long journey

It was loud in the VELTINS-Arena at 17:25. Very loud. Amongst the celebration after the game against Mainz was one overwhelming emotion: relief. The final whistle marked the thirteenth win in thirteen Hinrunde games for Schalke against Mainz. It was also the fifth clean sheet that the Royal Blues had kept against them in a row.

Big performance is the key to victory

Before the whistle blew though, the fingernails of fans and management alike were bitten to within an inch of their lives. “The last ten minutes felt like two hours,” described Christian Heidel of how he felt on the sidelines. “We defended very well, but crazy things can always happen.” Indeed, the visitors threw everything forward as the game wound down. “We should have been more clinical and made more of our opportunities on the counter. We lacked a bit of the necessary oomph at the end,” explained Domenico Tedesco. Thanks to the huge performances of the players in front of him, however, Ralf Fährmann was still able to keep a clean sheet – his 50th as a Schalke player in the Bundesliga.

It was Alessandro Schöpf’s eleventh minute header that proved to be decisive. The goalscorer praised the man who set it up for him above all. “Whenever Yevhen Konoplyanka has the ball, dangerous things can happen. He is unbelievably good in one-on-one situations. I just managed to get on the end of it and nudge the ball over the line,” said the Austrian about his header. His compatriot Guido Burgstaller was proud of the entire team performance: “We fought hard for every ball and everyone gave all they had. That’s how you win games. Today was a vintage Schalke win!”

Whatever it was that helped Schalke to victory, it’s irrefutable that the fans played a huge part in ending this losing streak. “We are all proud to have these fans behind us. They really sensed that we needed them today,” praised Heidel of the unrelenting support. And after the final whistle, the appreciation from the players was clear to see as they spent a long time applauding in front of the Nordkurve. “It was unbelievable. It’s always the best feeling to win at home,” beamed Burgstaller.

The situation in the table hasn’t changed all that much for the Knappen, however. Heidel remained realistic after the game against the club that he previously managed for 25 years: “Getting this win was important for us mentally. But just because we one this one does not mean that we will win the next.” After the second group game in the Champions League against Lokomotiv Moscow on Wednesday (3rd October, 18:55 CEST), the Royal Blues travel to face Fortuna Düsseldorf on Saturday (6th October, 15:30 CEST). Sporting director Christian Heidel didn’t take long to lay out the marching orders for his team over the next few weeks: “It will be a long journey to navigate our way out from this poor start. We will take things step by step.”