The last minute of injury time is running, Schalke take a corner kick and Simon Terodde gives the shooter Kerim Calhanoglu steam again. It’s no longer about the three points, but it’s about a goal that might still be worth a point. With a score of 1: 4 against Werder Bremen there is a risk of further damage in view of the goal difference. But the final corner ends like its predecessors: in a turmoil in which Schalke somehow always has a shot on goal, but again and again cannot find the gap.
Shortly afterwards it’s over and the SV Werder players celebrate their coup, at least those who still find the strength to do so. During the final quarter of an hour, some Bremen players had dragged themselves across the field with cramps – testimony to a grueling but effective resistance.
This game of games in the second league in front of a befitting crowd certainly met the demands of a top game. Bremen stole the top of the table from Schalke because they always had a well-founded structure in their game, because they were more versatile and sophisticated, and because they knew how to create and use moments of surprise according to plan. “Werder is the deserved winner,” said S04 coach Mike Büskens in a sporty and polite manner: “We started well, but we slept with two set pieces and didn’t have the necessary access.”
An old wisdom from ex-manager Rudi Assauer is not true this time
Büskens’ colleague Ole Werner didn’t show his condition in a good, North German way: “A very, very good game by my team and, logically, a very, very good result,” he summed up efficiently.
Schalke had won five times recently, while Bremen had drawn three times in a row; The hosts wanted to take advantage of this starting position according to the motto of their unforgotten manager Rudi Assauer: “Form beats class” was his wisdom, Mike Büskens seemed to have made his team familiar with it. Schalke stormed on, Werder was breathing heavily at first, Nicolai Rapp could only stop Schalke playmaker Rodrigo Zalazar at the expense of a yellow card, the stadium raged appropriately.
The first corner, however, was on the other side: Instead of the classic high into the center, the ball came to Mitchell Weiser, who enjoyed wonderful freedom a few meters from the penalty area. Weiser just shot it, goalkeeper Martin Fraisl was right, but made the wrong mistake. He slapped the ball forward, Ilia Gruev was there and scored from close range (8th minute).
Ilia Gruev (right) scores Bremen 1:0 in Gelsenkirchen.
(Photo: Uwe Kraft/Imago)
Perhaps this was the mistake that decisively influenced the game, but it would probably give Fraisl more blame than he deserves. The entire Schalke structure didn’t hold up when SV Werder let the ball run and finally realized their ideas. A few minutes after Terodde had missed the great chance to equalize, the difference in play between the teams should also be reflected in the result: Another corner found a deliberate detour to Weiser, whose cross was converted by the center forward Niklas Füllkrug to make it 2-0 (26th minute). .).
“With a bit of luck, we got the game going on our side,” said coach Werner later. Schalke needed a bit of luck first, however, when Marvin Ducksch hit the post (28′) and just before half-time whistle lobbed just wide of the target.
And now against St. Pauli and Nuremberg: Schalke still have tough opponents in the fight for promotion
Despite the sobering result, there was still anticipation in the stadium, but hopes of a turnaround in the second half were soon to be over. Marvin Ducksch scored twice, opposing defenders deflected the ball twice (51′, 53′) – and the game was over in an instant. While Schalke have recently been in league with luck, it has now turned out to be an unfaithful companion. Even when trying to make the result a little more forgiving, something always went wrong at the crucial moment. Schalke made an honorable effort, but were only poorly rewarded with Simon Terodde’s obligatory goal (88th).
For Werder things are looking really good with a relatively cheap remaining program with the return to the first division, Schalke still have to overcome high hurdles in the home game against St. Pauli and in the final appearance in Nuremberg. Büskens endured it with composure: “We haven’t started to go crazy in the last few weeks and didn’t believe that we could walk on water, and that’s how we have to keep going.”