Schalke fall to narrow 2-1 defeat at TSG Hoffenheim

Gosens and El-Faouzi return – Becker sidelined with foot injury

Head coach Miron Muslic made three changes from last weekend’s home game against RB Leipzig. Robin Gosens and Soufiane El-Faouzi returned to the starting line-up after missing the last two competitive games with injuries picked up during the trip to Cologne a few weeks ago. Dejan Ljubičić also made his first start since the trip to Union Berlin on matchday 3.

As a result, Vitalie Becker and Junior Adamu began on the bench. Before the game, the Royal Blues announced that Timo Becker is set for a spell on the sidelines with a foot injury that requires some time off to recover.

An unfortunate goal conceded after a promising start

The hosts had the first chance of the game after just ten seconds. Tim Lemperle initially missed the ball following a long pass but managed to get another opportunity to shoot, forcing Loris Karius into a save with a powerful effort. Schalke soon settled into the game, however, and created some good chances of their own. Adil Aouchiche dribbled his way to the byline on the left and cut the ball back to Kenan Karaman, whose close-range effort was blocked by Leon Avdullah (3’). Two minutes later, Oliver Baumann comfortably dealt with a shot from Aouchiche. Shortly afterwards, Gosens found himself in a promising position inside the penalty area, but Koki Machida slid in to clear the danger for Hoffenheim.

The hosts then took the lead in the tenth minute. Asllani closed down Karius as the Schalke goalkeeper attempted to play the ball forward. His clearance struck the Hoffenheim attacker and rebounded over Karius into the net.

Despite the frustrating setback, the Royal Blues continued to push forward. Aouchiche drove through midfield and tried his luck from over 20 metres out, but fired over the bar (12’). A much better chance followed shortly afterwards when Karaman played Aouchiche through into the penalty area. The midfielder found himself one-on-one with Baumann, but the TSG goalkeeper did well to cover his near post and deny him (13’).

Lemperle doubles Hoffenheim’s lead

Chances became less frequent as the half progressed, although the game continued to be played at a high tempo. The hosts doubled their lead in the 26th minute following a fine exchange between Lemperle and Asllani. Lemperle initially played the ball to Asllani, who picked out his teammate’s run into the penalty area with a precise pass. The former made no mistake, slotting home from around 10 metres out to make it 2-0.

Schalke, playing in their green third kit, continued to create opportunities but were unable to find the back of the net. After half an hour, Aouchiche saw his shot blocked before the rebound fell to Ljubičić, who fired wide of the left post. Eight minutes later, Gosens met Aouchiche’s headed lay-off with a first-time volley from the edge of the penalty area, but his effort also missed the target. At the other end, Alexander Prass found space to shoot from the left side of the box but sent his effort well over the bar (43’). Schalke therefore went into half time trailing 2-0.

Double injury blow straight after the restart – Aouchiche hits the bar

Karius and Gosens both required treatment early in the second half. Following a counter-attack, Asllani shot from 20 metres out, with Karius parrying the ball back into play. Gosens slid in to prevent Andrej Kramarić from reaching the rebound but accidentally caught his own goalkeeper in the face with his foot (47’). Neither player was able to continue, with Vitalie Becker and Kevin Müller coming on as replacements.

The Royal Blues refused to let the latest setback get them down, and they came agonisingly close to pulling a goal back in the 57th minute. Baumann could only parry Becker’s dangerous cross from the left, and Schalke kept the attack alive. Aouchiche then curled an effort against the crossbar from 16 metres out, leaving Baumann with no chance of making a save. Just after the hour mark, Prass put the ball into an empty Schalke net, but the goal was ruled out for offside against Kramarić in the build-up.

Coufal denies Adamu with his heel

Schalke never gave up, but luck simply wasn’t on their side. In the 71st minute, Aouchiche lifted the ball into the path of Junior Dina Ebimbe, who laid it back to Junior Adamu. The striker’s low shot was diverted behind for a corner by Vladimir Coufal’s heel. At the other end, Müller denied Mats Rots a goalscoring opportunity (74’).

Schalke finally got the goal their performance deserved with ten minutes of normal time remaining. Edin Džeko met a corner with a header that Baumann could only parry, allowing Adamu to pounce on the rebound and fire home from close range to make it 2-1.

The Royal Blues threw everything into their search for an equaliser. Becker battled hard to win a free kick on the left, which Aouchiche delivered into the middle. Dina Ebimbe was left unmarked just six metres from goal but failed to direct his header on target (90’).

Schalke continued to push forward throughout more than nine minutes of added time, leaving space for Prass to race through one-on-one with Müller. The goalkeeper produced a fine save to prevent Hoffenheim from making it 3-1 (90’+6). There was to be no late equaliser, however, as the Royal Blues ultimately fell to a 2-1 defeat.

Next home game against VfB

The Royal Blues will be back in action on 21st November (18:30 CET) when they host VfB Stuttgart at the VELTINS-Arena after the international break.