S04 fall to 3-1 defeat in friendly against Uerdingen

Pusch scores an early goal for the guests

The match did not get off to a good start for the Royal Blues. Christian Dorda sent Kolja Pusch through on goal, who then chipped it over Ralf Fährmann to open the scoring (4′). In the minutes that followed, it was the guests who continued to threaten in front of goal. Osamen Osawe looked especially dangerous down the left side, causing Fährmann to pull off two crucial stops during the first half (15′ and 22′).

David Wagner’s side struggled to create chances for themselves during the opening stages of the game. Can Bozdogan came close in the 19th minute after linking up with Timo Becker. The youngster’s shot from 20 metres out sailed wide of goal. Once again, it was the guests who looked the stronger of the two sides. Uerdingen defended well and continued to push forward on the counter. Signs of fatigue were evident among the Royal Blue squad, following the strenuous training sessions in recent days. Uerdingen’s attackers were only too happy to capitalise on this weakness.

Van Ooijen adds another, Bozdogan hits the post

Schalke then conceded their second of the match in the 24th minute. Haktab Traoré played through to Osawe on the right wing, who was able to send a pass right across the face of goal. Peter van Ooijen was on hand to tap in to make it 2-0 to the visitors. Just five minutes later, Osawe had the chance to add another but saw his shot blocked by Hamza Mendyl.

The Royal Blues improved in the closing 15 minutes of the half, but were unable to take advantage of their chances. Amine Harit sent a free-kick wide of goal (31′) while Bozdogan hit the post twice: the first came from 25 metres out (34′) before a second attempt just minutes later (38′). Osawe also had another opportunity to score, but missed the tap-in from inside the area (35′). Schalke pushed hard to halve the deficit ahead of the break, but Steven Skrzybski’s one-timer following a pass from Mark Uth sailed over the bar (40′). The Royal Blues found themselves 2-0 behind at the break.

Ten changes to start the second half

Wagner made ten changes to start the second half, with Ralf Fährmann remaining in goal for the full 90 minutes. Schalke looked more solid in defence, but lacked opportunities to score. Ahmed Kutucu attempted a shot from range (52′) before Malick Thiaw got on the end of a free kick from Bastian Oczipka. His header, however, sailed over the bar (54′).

Thiaw then played a beautiful ball into the area which was redirected by Oczipka into Rabbi Matondo’s path. However, Matondo was unable to connect and get a shot off. Guido Burgstaller was lying in wait, but the Austrian’s attempt was blocked. In the minutes that followed, Schalke seldomly managed to break through the Uerdingen defence. Matondo attempted a shot from the left side of the box, but it sailed wide (71′).

Uerdingen score from the spot - Kutucu gets one back for S04

Instead, it was the guests who would add to their tally. Referee Sven Waschitzki pointed to the spot after a foul from Matija Nastasic on Mike Feigenspan. Kevin Großkreutz stepped up to convert the penalty.

During the closing minutes of the match, Burgstaller came close to getting one back for Schalke off a header (83′). The 300 fans in attendance were able to celebrate a consolation goal in the final minutes, as Kutucu set himself up for a left-footed shot from the edge of the box to make it 3-1 (88′). It wouldn’t be enough to turn the tide of the game for the Royal Blues, however, as Uerdingen ran out 3-1 winners.

Departure to Längenfeld

On Friday (21.08), the Royal Blues will travel to training camp in Austria. The team will train in Längenfeld until 29th August. Schalke will play further pre-season friendlies during camp, with details about timings and opponents still to be announced. As usual, these friendlies will also be live-streamed on Schalke’s YouTube channel.