22nd matchday
Gelsenkirchen (dpa) – Even the encouraging words of the supervisors gave no consolation. Most of the Schalke professionals left the pitch with drooping heads.
Because the danger that after the sobering 0: 4 (0: 2) against arch rivals Borussia Dortmund it could have been the last Revier derby for the time being has increased significantly since the recent playful oath of disclosure. In contrast, Dortmund enjoyed the prestigious success and danced minutes after the final whistle on Saturday evening in front of the empty grandstand, where their own fans are usually standing.
In the empty Veltins-Arena, Jadon Sancho (42nd minute), Erling Haaland (45th / 79th) and Raphael Guerreiro (60th) ensured the well-deserved victory of Borussia. BVB thus remains within striking distance of the Champions League places and stopped the downward trend with the last three Bundesliga away defeats in a row. “This derby win gives us a lot of confidence,” said captain Marco Reus. “We have to keep working for the next few weeks and win.” Emre Can said: “If everyone takes the extra steps, we are strong. We can’t let up and we have to show that in every game. “
In contrast, the bottom of the table in the Bundesliga from Gelsenkirchen had to accept his ninth home defeat and is still nine points behind the relegation place. “We’re not giving up, we want to keep fighting,” said goalkeeper Michael Langer, who came into the game after 32 minutes for the injured regular goalkeeper Ralf Fährmann (stomach muscle problems). “It’s an extremely shitty situation, but we have no choice.” Coach Christian Gross admitted: “There is nothing to gloss over. That was a game that ran completely against us. ” But he still believes in salvation: “We will fight and try everything.”
In contrast to the 3-2 win in the Champions League in Seville during the week, BVB, handicapped by the failure of central defender Manuel Akanji (fiber tear), started the game more cautiously. Nevertheless, he earned the first chance to score when Sancho failed with a low shot from 14 meters to Fährmann. But Schalke, who had to do without new signing Shkodran Mustafi for a short time, rarely wavered on the defensive at first. Although BVB determined the game, it was too unimaginative. Therefore, Schalke had good opportunities for counterattacks, which were not played consistently to the end.
The injury-related replacement of Fährmann didn’t seem to bother Schalke – up to Benjamin Stambouli’s bad mistake. The 30-year-old sold the ball in front of his own penalty area and thus initiated the deficit. Because Sancho took advantage of the dropout and scored his 5th goal of the season with a placed shot from 14 meters. Only three minutes later, the Englishman initiated the 2-0 for BVB. Haaland carried the flank of his strike partner with a remarkable volley in goal. “He’s a machine, very hungry for goals,” praised Reus. “The goal was sensational.”
This one-two punch just before the break did not take the opponent’s hope away. It was only thanks to two brilliant acts by BVB keeper Marwin Hitz that the Schalke team did not score the next goal shortly after the break. In the 51st minute, the Bürki representative deflected a shot from Suat Serdar against the post, only two minutes later he ironed out a mistake by defense chief Mats Hummels.
Only the 3-0 through Guerreiro, who met after a pass from BVB captain Marco Reus from 14 meters, removed all doubts about Dortmund’s victory. Schalke continued to strive to correct the result, but remained harmless as usual. Instead, Haaland increased to 4-0 after a cross from Jude Bellingham and scored two goals this season (17) more than the entire Schalke team.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210220-99-525467 / 4
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