Peer Kluge, with a reckless tackle, gave Valencia a dead ball play in the 33rd minute. The restart was in a weird spot, though - the middle of the pitch, about 35 yards out, preventing Valencia from working on the kind of angles you normally see successful set pieces delivered from. But that didn’t prevent Los Che from giving the home crowd a reason to gasp.
UEFA Champions League, Valencia Vs. Schalke: Peer Kluge Fouls Give Valencia Chances
Alejandro Domínguez played a ball to the right of Schalke’s wall to a surprisingly open Aritz Aduriz. The Valencia attacker trapped the ball six yards from goal, to Manuel Neuer’s left, before letting go of a sharp angle shot. The attempt went just wide of the near post, high and into the side netting, giving Schalke’s poor defending a reprieve.
Minutes later, Kluge gave up another foul in a similar spot, begging questions as to when he’d see yellow. This time, it seemed Tino Costa would have a go, moments earlier having blistered a left-footed shot on Neuer from 26 yards. Instead, it was Dominguez who send a curling attempt just over the cross bar.
Now through 40 minutes, the play is all Valencia. Los Che lead 1-0, but we could see another before half.
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