The driver of the car with the license plate number DN-KA was in a particularly hurry to get to the stadium for kick-off. In such a hurry that he brought a smile to the 60,000 spectators in the Gelsenkirchen Arena when the stadium announcer summoned him back to his car – he had the key in his pocket and the engine running. It is possible that the hectic fan waited until the break to correct the mishap, because Schalke 04 and Borussia Mönchengladbach played a game that was more colorful and interesting than one could have expected right up to the last few seconds. The newcomer had had the established guest under control for a long time and was no longer far from victory, but the fact that he was relieved to celebrate a 2-2 win in the end was thanks to the video court of all things, which after the events at the start of the season in Cologne was well-founded disenchantment with the justice system in Gelsenkirchen.
Added time was already running, Gladbach was leading 2-1 and only had to survive a minute when referee Sven Jablonski’s phone rang. The Kölner Keller got in touch and recommended the referee to visit the screen, and it didn’t take Jablonski long to realize that Patrick Hermann had recently committed a handball during a rescue operation in the penalty area. Marius Bülter took the ball, deliberately shot it into the goal and the punchline was perfect. The VAR had saved Schalke 04. Nonetheless, no one was ashamed of it, the joy at the unexpected but well-deserved point win was of course a thousand times greater.
Simon Terodde felt the Gladbach handball “somehow as a gift”
Gladbach struggled a little with the decision, but not too much, the handball itself was undisputed. “It was a deserved point,” said goal scorer Bülter, “we came back from behind and eventually forced the penalty a bit.” Simon Terodde felt the handball “somehow as a gift” – which Schalke could urgently need to avoid a false start in the relegation battle.
Goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow was one of the happiest Schalke players after the final whistle. As in Cologne, he usually did a good job, but not always. As in Cologne, he once decided to intervene when he might have been better off staying away. He couldn’t get hold of the ball in the turmoil – Marcus Thuram turned skillfully and shot the ball into the empty goal to make it 2-1 (78′). Schwolow’s suffering could not be overlooked.
Goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow comes out and cannot clear the ball, Marcus Thuram thanks him.
(Photo: IMAGO/Maik Hölter/TEAM2sportphoto/IMAGO/Team 2)
Before kick-off, the locals had to say hello to an old acquaintance. The guest was greeted enthusiastically and, the longer the game lasted, missed the more painfully: Gladbach’s defender Ko Itakura wore royal blue last season and quickly became the crowd’s favourite. But Schalke couldn’t raise the six million that would have cost him to stay, while Borussia could. Itakura found his place promptly, he already plays a key role in Gladbach’s cover center and was one of Borussia’s best on Saturday night. For him, the jump from the second to the first division seems to be just a stone’s throw.
The fact that the Japanese defender and his teammates were in high demand from the start seemed to surprise some involved. Gladbach was overwhelmed by the aggressively gripping and forward-oriented Schalke. S04 benefited from the return of its successful duo, the well-rehearsed combination of Simon Terodde & Marius Bülter gave the offensive speed, depth and sophistication. In midfield, the Czech Alex Kral set the tone, he could become the new authority in the center of Schalke. What was missing for perfect happiness were the goals.
In the second half, Schalke gradually ran out of strength, the logical consequence of their high commitment
Schalke pushed and kept getting in good starting positions by winning the ball, but the shots remained sluggish and the senders lacked composure and clarity on some of the last passes. Terodde was always on the lookout, but mostly he lurked in vain. Significantly, Rodrigo Zalazar made it 1-0 with a long-range shot that Yann Sommer may have underestimated a bit. Borussia rarely posed a threat in the first half, only Marcus Thuram occasionally causing trouble.
The picture remained the same in the second half until Schalke gradually ran out of strength – the logical consequence of their high commitment. Terodde and Zalazar had to go, the game changed direction. Jonas Hofmann’s 1:1 (72nd) was no longer a surprise, Thuram’s 2:1 was the reward for forced efforts. The promoted team seemed to learn the lesson to consolidate Gladbach’s positive trend with an appearance that was still cool after all. But then the referee’s phone rang.