Significantly more possession of the ball, around twice as many shots on goal – but FC Schalke 04 ended up empty-handed in the Bundesliga at Werder Bremen.
In the 2: 1 (1: 0) on Saturday evening (November 5th, 2022) in the Weser Stadium, the result alone ultimately reflected the spheres in which the two clubs in the 1st Bundesliga are currently moving: Werder Bremen has caught up with the European places , Schalke 04, on the other hand, remain bottom of the table with their seventh league defeat in a row.
Post and VAR bad luck
The first half alone showed what can actually go against you when you’re at the bottom. Schalke started refreshingly, seemed unencumbered by the situation in the league and played courageously forwards. In the 13th minute, the guests saw themselves rewarded with the opening goal: Alex Král scored from 18 meters with a deflected shot.
But the joy only lasted a good minute, then Günter Perl, as video assistant referee, recognized an offside position by goal widener Kenan Karaman and reported it – referee Felix Brych took the goal back again.
Leadership with the first degree
However, Bremen still didn’t come into play at all, Schalke had been brilliantly recruited by coach Thomas Reis and almost completely neutralized Werder’s offensive game for half an hour. With the first good finish, however, the whole Royal Blue effort was gone: Mitchell Weiser beat Tobias Mohr far too easily on the right, put the ball back in the center, where Niclas Füllkrug rushed up – and underlined his World Cup ambitions with the tenth goal of the season.
However, Schalke kept the pressure on, had shots on goal 10:6 at half time – but nobody found the goal. Not much was missing, especially for Simon Terodde in the 38th minute: The left post saved the already beaten Bremen keeper Jiří Pavlenka when the S04 striker headed the ball.
Schalke runs into the knockout
The situation didn’t change in the second round either. Schalke pressed, sometimes constricting the hosts on their own sixteen, but all attempts to finish were blocked, held or were too imprecise. By the 75th minute, the “Royal Blues” had increased their shots on goal to 18:7 – then the knockout came.
Again, Weiser drove the ball down the right side on a counterattack, and Schalke’s last man Maya Yoshida failed to sideline Marvin Ducksch with his pass to the front. He then easily ran away from the Japanese and missed Alexander Schwolow with a brilliant lob to make it 2-0.
After this renewed low blow, it looked like Schalke would not recover for a good ten minutes. But there was a small reward for all the fighting spirit in the 89th minute: Dominick Drexler scored with a low shot against Pavlenka’s running direction to make it 1:2.
Bremen demanded from the record champions
On the 14th matchday of the Bundesliga, the promoted team from Bremen has a real endurance test in front of them with the away game in Munich (Tuesday, November 8th, 2022). Schalke welcome 1. FSV Mainz 05 a day later (8.30 p.m.).