Schalke beaten 2-0 by Leipzig despite battling display

Three changes to the starting XI

Head coach Miron Muslic made three changes to his starting line-up from Wednesday’s (28/10) DFB-Pokal defeat away to Dynamo Dresden. Timo Becker and captain Kenan Karaman both returned to the starting XI, while Junior Adamu was also handed a start. Junior Dina Ebimbe and Edin Džeko dropped to the bench, while Luca Vozar missed out through illness. Janik Bachmann was also unavailable due to a hip injury, having already missed the cup tie in Dresden after featuring against Köln on the previous matchday.

Fast-paced start to the game

There was no time for either side to settle into the game, with the first scare for Schalke coming after just two minutes. A free-kick was delivered to the far post, where Willi Orban headed the ball back towards the near corner. Timo Becker stuck out a foot and inadvertently diverted it into the back of the net. However, Orban was offside, so the score remained 0-0 (3’).

The early scare seemed to spark Schalke into life, and the Royal Blues began to get a foothold in the game. Kenan Karaman was fouled around 20 yards outside the penalty area, but Adil Aouchiche fired the resulting free-kick into the wall (7’). Shortly afterwards, Mertcan Ayhan sent a cleared corner back into the Leipzig box, where Junior Adamu managed to get a slight touch ahead of Maarten Vandevoordt but couldn’t divert the ball past the goalkeeper (10’). Three minutes later, Adil Aouchiche struck the top of the crossbar with a free-kick (13’).

The visitors were also looking dangerous going forward. Antonio Nusa broke quickly down the left and drove towards the corner of the penalty area before curling an effort towards the far corner, forcing Loris Karius into an excellent save. Romulo headed the rebound over the bar (15’). Shortly afterwards, the Schalke goalkeeper claimed a cross from David Raum and quickly launched a counter-attack through Kenan Karaman, but the move eventually broke down (20’).

Costly penalty puts Leipzig ahead

Schalke continued to play with courage and commitment. A quick pass from Satoshi Tanaka released Junior Adamu down the left, but just as he looked to get a shot away inside the box, Castello Lukeba slid in with a perfectly timed challenge (25’). Hee Chan Hwang then saw his progress halted by the Leipzig defence as he looked to break through (29’). At the other end, Schalke were largely managing to keep the visitors away from their penalty area. That changed when Satoshi Tanaka, unaware of Romulo approaching from behind, caught the Leipzig forward as he attempted to clear the ball, resulting in a penalty (34’). Antonio Nusa stepped up and fired a powerful effort into the bottom-left corner, giving Karius no chance and putting Leipzig 1-0 ahead (37’).

Roared on by the home crowd, Schalke pushed for an immediate response. A move involving Adil Aouchiche came to nothing (42’), before the midfielder combined with Kenan Karaman to work the ball towards the Leipzig box, only for the captain to find himself without a suitable passing option (44’). Leipzig then threatened on the counter, with Vitalie Becker making an excellent sliding intervention ahead of Romulo before Loris Karius punched the resulting corner clear (45’+1). There was more drama before the break. First, Ezechiel Banzuzi tested the Schalke goalkeeper, who produced a superb save (45’+3). Rômulo then found himself unmarked in front of goal and put the ball in the net, but referee Dr Max Burda ruled it out because the ball went of play before David Raum’s cross (45’+3).

Leipzig double their lead late on

The second half began at the same frantic pace as the first had ended. Kenan Karaman was narrowly offside as Schalke launched their first attack (46’), before Ezechiel Banzuzi fired just wide of the left post at the other end moments later (47’). Schalke responded immediately, with Adil Aouchiche whipping a dangerous corner towards the far post, where the Leipzig defence had to scramble to clear off the line ahead of Hasan Kuruçay (48’). Timo Becker then picked up the first yellow card of the game for pulling Antonio Nusa’s shirt (50’).

The game continued at a relentless pace, with both sides looking to break forward quickly. Hee Chan Hwang tried to launch a counter-attack without success (53’), before Antonio Nusa and Ezechiel Banzuzi combined on the break at the other end, only to be denied by Loris Karius (53’). Head coach Miron Muslic then made his first substitution, bringing on Dejan Ljubičić for Junior Adamu (57’). The midfielder soon had his first effort on goal, but sent his shot well over the bar (62’).

Leipzig continued to threaten, with Antonio Nusa driving a dangerous low ball into the six-yard box from the left, where Vitalie Becker cleared behind for a corner (65’). Miron Muslic then made his second change, introducing Edin Džeko in place of Mertcan Ayhan (67’). Schalke enjoyed a spell of pressure down the left, but Nikola Katić was unable to direct Vitalie Becker’s cross towards goal (69’). The Royal Blues kept pushing for an equaliser, but it was Leipzig who struck again. After Schalke lost possession in the Leipzig half, the visitors broke quickly and moved the ball forward through three players before Romulo finished past Loris Karius from close range to make it 2-0 (78’).

Despite the setback, Schalke continued to look for a way back into the game. Miron Muslic made his final changes with a double substitution, bringing on Bryan Lasme and Junior Dina Ebimbe for Timo Becker and Hee Chan Hwang (83’). However, it was Leipzig who had the next chance, with Tidiam Gomis shooting from the left and Loris Karius making a comfortable save (84’). Adil Aouchiche was then booked for a foul on Ridle Baku (86’). Schalke were unable to find a goal in the closing stages, and the game ended in a 2-0 defeat.

A trip to Sinsheim up next

The Royal Blues are back in action next Sunday (8/11), when they travel to face TSG Hoffenheim. Kick-off in Sinsheim is at 19:30 CET. Following a 2-0 defeat away to Werder Bremen, Hoffenheim will travel to Crystal Palace for a Europa League fixture on Thursday (5/11).