Having conceded just three goals at home since the start of 2014, Schalke 04 have made the Veltins Arena a tricky trip for everyone. The Königsblauen looked to continue this good spell of home form as well as secure their hold on third in the league. Visitors Borussia Mönchengladbach came in needing at least a draw to move back into sixth.
Schalke 04 vs. Borussia Mönchengladbach: Final score 0-1, Herrmann strike sinks Schalke
Borussia Mönchengladbach went back into fifth place after traveling to Schalke and picking up all three points. Patrick Herrmann was the match winner with a goal in the 35th minute.
Schalke manager Jens Keller used his usual 4-2-3-1, but the usual focal point of his attack Klass-Jan Huntelaar started the match on the bench after suffering a throat infection last week, with Ádám Szalai in for him. Lucien Favre chose his normal 4-4-2 and with Patrick Herrmann and Juan Arango swapping wings they were dangerous on the counter.
The first 35 minutes were scoreless, but both sides looked threatening on the counter and had a combined 10 corner kicks. The deadlock was broken in the 35th minute when Patrick Herrmann opened the scoring with an 18-yard screamer into the bottom left corner. Raffael had the assist, but he had gained possession after Schalke keeper Ralf Fährmann questionably punched the ball away in what can only be described as in a volleyball fashion.
It remained 1-0 at the break. The pressing intentions of Gladbach became tough to deal with for Schalke, because they were able to play a high defensive line. Szalai was unable to do much in terms of pulling the opposing center backs out of place and the attacks were stagnating.
Keller tried to change the direction of the match in the 64th minute by bringing on Chinedu Obasi for Max Meyer, but the home crowd voiced their displeasure with the change. He made another change in the 72nd minute, bringing on Huntelaar for right back Tim Hoogland. This changed the formation to basically a 4-2-4 and made sense with the home side gunning for all three points. Gladbach seemed content to protect their lead, evidenced by the substitution of defender Roel Brouwers for forward Raffael in the 79th minute.
Szalai missed a golden chance shooting just inches wide following an inventive short-corner routine nine minutes from time. Felipe Santana was subbed on for Kaan Ayhan in the 86th minute, presumably to play as an emergency center forward similar to how he played last year for Dortmund in the Champions League against Malaga when they miraculously scored twice just before time.
Four minutes of extra time were added, but Schalke couldn’t really get anything going until very late. Branimir Hrgota came on with about 90 seconds left to waste time. Schalke had a corner with 30 seconds left and keeper Fährmann came up for it, but Marc-Andre ter Stegen was able to snatch the ball out of the air over his opposing number 1. Julian Draxler shot wide five minutes into the extra time period with the final kick of the match and it finished 1-0.
Schalke 04: Fährmann; Hoogland (Huntelaar 72), Ayhan (Santana 86’), Matip, Kolašinac; Boateng, Neustädter; Goretzka, Meyer (Obasi 64’), Draxler, Szalai.
Mönchengladbach: ter Stegen; Korb, Stranzl, Jantschke, Domínguez; Herrmann (Rupp 88’), Nordveit, Kramer, Arango; Kruse (Hrgota), Raffael (Brouwers 79’).
Goals: Herrmann (35’)
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