Eintracht Frankfurt picked up only their second win in their last ten matches with a 1-0 victory over Schalke
Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Schalke: Final score 1-0, Nikolov stonewalls Schalke
Oka Nikolov put in a great performance in goal for Eintracht Frankfurt to beat Schalke.
Oka Nikolov, starting in goal for Frankfurt since Kevin Trapp broke his hand, was the hero early and often on Saturday. He came up huge with saves on shots from Michel Bastos and Raffael as Schalke pressed for the early goal.
In the 24th minute, Stefan Aigner was called for a handball, and Schalke were awarded a penalty. Bastos stepped up to take the spot kick, but Nikolov made a big save to keep the match scoreless.
Frankfurt then hit the crossbar twice. Takashi Inui and Marc Stendera hit the crossbar, failing to give Frankfurt a lead. Then, as halftime approached, the deadlock was broken. Stendera whipped in a free kick, and Marco Russ headed it past Hildebrand for the 1-0 advantage.
Nikolov controlled Schalke throughout the second half and denied Julian Draxler and Teemu Pukki from finding an equalizer.
Frankfurt now occupy sixth place in the table, while Schalke hold onto fourth for at least another day. Only one point separates the two sides.
More in Soccer:
See More:
