Needing to kickstart their Bundesliga campaign, Schalke 04 ended VfL Wolfsburg's six-match winning streak with a 3-2 victory at Veltins Arena. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting scored twice in the first half as Schalke pack a crucial three points in their bags as they head to Chelsea in the Champions League at midweek.
Schalke 04 vs. VfL Wolfsburg: Final Score 3-2, Maxim Choupo-Moting spectacular
An open game closes quickly as Schalke hold on to collect a valuable three points.
Wolfsburg left Choupo-Moting in acres of space twice in the first half, and the Cameroonian torched the Wolfe for two goals in 12 minutes. Choupo-Moting’s brace gives him six on the season, tying him for third in the German top-flight.
His first came in the 10th minute, running on the end of a Marco Höger lob that split Robin Knoche Christian Träsch in the Wolfsburg defense. He got the ball on his right foot and poked a shot past a dumbfounded Diego Benaglio. He doubled his money in the 22nd minute, Kevin-Prince Boateng winning the ball and feeding it to him at the top of the penalty area before he slotted it past Benaglio a second time.
Wolfsburg’s Swiss goalkeeper might have been able to do better, but neither come close to the worst blunder of the day. Christian Fuchs delivered a free kick that curled right into his hands, and he flubbed the ball behind him and watched it bounce over his own goal-line. All manager Dieter Hecking could do is shake his head in dismay as his Wolfsburg team fell behind 3-0 after just 25 minutes.
Experimenting with different combinations and formations, Roberto Di Matteo finally found the formula that worked for Schalke. His deployment of three center backs allowed his midfield to control the match, and Choupo-Moting and Boateng were able to move freely in the attacking area. Both took advantage of the charitable space Wolfsburg midfield was leaving in front of the defense.
The back three system came back to bite Schalke in the 37th minute, Kevin De Bruyne able to play Ivan Perišić down the left side of the penalty area before the Croatian picked out his countryman Ivica Olić for the goal. The two nearly combined a few times in the match, but could not do enough to get Wolfsburg back into the match.
As Di Matteo brought on more defenders to see out the victory, Hecking through the kitchen sink with attacking substitutions. Olić gave way to Niklas Bendtner in the second half, and the Dane scored shortly upon his arrival. He received the ball from De Bruyne on a counterattack and squeezed the ball inside Ralph Fährmann’s right post. It was the first goal Bendtner has scored in his Bundesliga career.
Despite the late scares -- including a near equalizers by Aaron Hunt and Naldo -- Schalke as able to see out the victory, their fifth on the season. The result shoots them up the table five spots, tied for sixth on 17 points with TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. Wolfsburg meanwhile loses ground to defending champions Bayern Munich, not exactly the result they wanted going into their Europa League clash against Everton.
Schalke: Fährmann, Höwedes, Felipe Santana, Neustädter, Uchida, Kirchhoff (Matip 72’), Höger, Fuchs, Boateng, Choupo-Moting, Huntelaar (Ayhan 90’)
Goals: Choupo Moting (10’, 22’), Fuchs (25’)
VfL Wolfsburg: Benaglio, Träsch (Hunt 46'), Knoche, Naldo, Rodriguez, Luiz Gustavo, Guilavogui (Malanda 63'), Vieirinha, De Bruyne, Perišić, Olić (Bendtner 72')
Goals: Olić (37’), Bendtner (75’)
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