catching up and flood of cards
Schalke makes ascent spectacularly clear
05/07/2022 10:27 p.m
The race to catch up ends with the ascent. FC Schalke 04 is already well behind in the top game of the 2nd Bundesliga against FC St. Pauli, but then the team turns up the heat: With a 3-2 win, FC Schalke 04 manage to return directly to the top flight a year after being relegated.
FC Schalke 04 kept their nerves in the second division promotion drama and made the return to the football upper house prematurely perfect. In the 3: 2 (0: 2) in the top game over FC St. Pauli, the table leaders even defied a 0: 2 deficit at the break and paved the way for a total of fourth promotion to the Bundesliga with a brilliant final sprint. In front of 61,271 spectators in the sold-out Veltins Arena, Simon Terodde (47th/penalty kick/71st) and Rodrigo Zalazar (78th) scored the hard-fought victory, which was euphorically cheered by their own supporters.
On the other hand, second division autumn champions St. Pauli, despite the early double strike by Igor Matanivic (9th/17th), probably said goodbye to the promotion race after the sixth game in a row without a win. With a three point gap to the second HSV and the third Darmstadt and the significantly worse goal difference, there are only theoretical chances. Werder Bremen can also advance to second place with a win on Sunday in Aue.
In the 81st minute, Hamburg’s Marcel Beifus saw a red card after a rude foul, while his teammate Matanovic saw a yellow card in injury time. The two dismissals were followed by seven warnings in an intense top game in front of a large crowd.
As in the 1: 4 two weeks ago at the same place against Bremen, the great expectations made things difficult for Schalke. In the presence of the Revierclub legends “Eurofighter”, who celebrated their 25th anniversary this weekend after the UEFA Cup triumph in 1997, they were close to a dream start. Already in the 1st minute, goalscorer Terodde appeared alone in front of the opposing goal after a mistake by defender Beifus, but was denied by guest keeper Dennis Smarsch.
But the “Kiezkicker”, weakened by various corona cases, kept a cool head in the heated stadium atmosphere and immediately took the first chance. Jackson Irvine heeled a pass from Leart Paqarada to Matanovic, who put the ball ahead with a shot from the turn. When the only 19-year-old attacker scored again just eight minutes later after another pass from Irvine and a subsequent solo, Schalke was sobered.
Nevertheless, the league leaders showed a positive reaction and – driven by their fans – pressed the Hamburg goal. Despite all his zeal, he was careless with his opportunities. Dominick Drexler and Terodde (33rd) missed the possible goal in a questionable manner after a cross from Marius Bülter.
A penalty whistle from referee Marco Fritz shortly after the restart revived Schalke. This time Terodde did not miss this chance to score and converted safely. That was the beginning of another phase of pressure for the hosts. The guest coverage did not withstand the growing pressure for long. Terodde was there again and turned the home arena into a madhouse.
However, Zalazar, who had just come on as a substitute, provided the highlight and final point. After a pass from Bülter, the joker plucked up courage and perfected Schalke’s luck with a powerful shot under the bar.