In a crazy second division game, FC Schalke 04 emerged as the lucky winner against 1. FC Magdeburg on Saturday evening. In the 4-3 home win, veteran goalkeeper Michael Langer became an unexpected hero for the Royal Blues, as he made a spectacular save for his colors in the seventh minute of stoppage time.
It was anything but foreseeable that Michael Langer would play in a competitive game for FC Schalke again. Actually only as goalkeeper number four in the squad behind Marius Müller, Ralf Fährmann and Justin Heekeren, he came on as a substitute against Magdeburg. Marius Müller was injured without any influence from an opponent, Fährmann (injured) and Heekeren (in action for the U23s) were not in the squad anyway.
In just his sixth competitive appearance in Schalke’s sixth year, the replacement goalkeeper, who was extremely popular in Gelsenkirchen, became one of the match winners for his colors. Next to Sebastian Polter, who scored a brace for S04 in his first starting eleven appearance this season.
It was also Polter who chose very special words to praise the performance of the 38-year-old goalkeeper after the Royal Blues’ extremely important second win of the season: “I told Michi that he is a young god, like he is at 38 years old Ball fishes out. Michi lives the club, he’s there every day, pushes us forward. You give Michi these moments. He’s a very, very fine guy,” Polter was quoted as saying in the “Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung”.
Goalkeeper colleague Marius Müller, who had to go down injured in the first half, joined in the praise: “I’m extremely happy for Michi. Outstanding, one for the other. If things get difficult, we can rely on everyone.”
S04 head coach Thomas Reis was also happy for the veteran goalkeeper, whose professional contract will expire in the summer of 2024: “Michi always gives full throttle in training at the set football age. Today he was needed, he held on to the three points, that rounds off this day, this mentality.”
It remains to be seen whether the Austrian will have another opportunity to become a match winner for FC Schalke as the season progresses.