As in the 1: 4 two weeks ago at the same place against Bremen, the great expectations made things difficult for Schalke. In the presence of the Revierclub legends “Eurofighter”, who celebrated their 25th anniversary this weekend after the UEFA Cup triumph in 1997, they were close to a dream start. Already in the 1st minute, goalscorer Terodde appeared alone in front of the opposing goal after a mistake by defender Beifus, but was denied by guest keeper Dennis Smarsch.
The disillusionment at Schalke was great
But the “Kiezkicker”, weakened by various corona cases, kept a cool head in the heated stadium atmosphere and immediately took the first chance. Jackson Irvine heeled a pass from Leart Paqarada to Matanovic, who put the ball ahead with a shot from the turn. When the only 19-year-old attacker scored again just eight minutes later after another pass from Irvine and a subsequent solo, Schalke was sobered.
Nevertheless, the league leaders showed a positive reaction and – driven by their fans – pressed the Hamburg goal. Despite all his zeal, he was careless with his opportunities. Dominick Drexler and Terodde (33rd) missed the possible goal in a questionable manner after a cross from Marius Bülter.
A penalty whistle from referee Marco Fritz shortly after the restart revived Schalke. This time Terodde did not miss this chance to score and converted safely. That was the beginning of another phase of pressure for the hosts. The guest coverage did not withstand the growing pressure for long. Terodde was there again and turned the home arena into a madhouse.
However, Zalazar, who had just come on as a substitute, provided the highlight and final point. After a pass from Bülter, the joker plucked up courage and perfected Schalke’s luck with a powerful shot under the bar.
