Schalke 2 Duisburg 1

By: Mike | March 15th, 2008

pwned
(I just thought that this images was funny. Ohhh, and he scored a goal.)

Alright Im cheating as I did not get a chance to watch the game. I am pretty much just copying and pasting directly from Goal.com as Chris(roma one) has yet to give me some Bundesliga sites.

Schalke made hard work of overcoming relegation candidates MSV Duisburg at the Veltins Arena having to come from behind to seal the all-important three points. Bulgarian Blagoy(say that five times fast) Georgiev stunned the home crowd on 21 minutes with a very well taken goal. Schalke had the better possession and territory but were failed to make it count.
The second half however brought the reward for the home side’s efforts with goals from Kevin Kuranyi and Heiko Westermann.

First Half
It was the visitors who had the first chance of the game after just two minutes. Niculescu attempted to bend in a free kick from 22 meters, but although a decent effort, Manuel Neuer wasn’t overly troubled in the Schalke goal.
As the game developed Schalke had more of the ball and territory but without really creating anything of note. Then on 11 minutes Rakitic created a golden chance which Jermaine Jones was unable to convert. The Croatian midfielder advanced down the right beating both Willi and Avalos with ease. His cross found Jermaine Jones, who didn’t connect properly with his shot and watched the ball screw wide of the goal.
Duisburg were seemingly content to sit deep in their own half, but then sprang to life as the game approached the quarter hour mark. With 15 minutes on the clock, Niculescu laid the ball off to Maicon, who let rip from the edge of the area. Fortunately for the home side, keeper Manuel Neuer pulled off a fantastic save palming the ball over the bar when it looked destined for the top corner. However, six minutes later Neuer was powerless to stop the next Duisburg effort. Blagoy Georgiev snuffed out a pass bound for Rafinha raced into the Schalke half before beating Varela as he cut inside. The Bulgarian then chipped a curling shot over Manuel Neuer to give the visitors a hock lead.

A minute later the Königsblauen came with a hairs breadth of grabbing an equaliser as Jermaine Jones again was millimetres away from placing his header into the back of the Duisburg net. The visitors withdrew deeper into their own half and put ten men behind the ball in an effort to stop Schalke. On the half hour mark, the Königsblauen had a double chance to equalise. First of all Altintop took too long over his shot before shooting against a defender, before Kuranyi was denied a headed goal by keeper Tom Starke.

Second Half
Mirko Slomka sent on Vicente Sanchez at the start of the second half in an effort to make his side a more attacking force in the game. The Königsblauen’s first chance of the second half fell on 54 minutes. Kuranyi laid the ball onto Sanchez who then crossed the ball back inside to the German international striker. Kuranyi took the ball on his chest but was then adjudged to have handled by the referee. Schalke were rewarded for their early pressure with the equaliser on the hour mark. The first big chance of the half was converted by Kuranyi to get Mirko Slomka’s side back in the game. Ivan Rakitic crossed into the centre and Kuranyi was on hand at the far post to bundle the ball in with his knee.
Gerald Asamoah was sent on and within three minutes was making a nuisance of himself. Sanchez crossed into the penalty area where the veteran attacker very nearly got his header on target. The game was finally turned on 74 minutes when Schalke scored their second goal. A Christian Pander free kick was headed against the bar by Asamoah, but defender Heiko Westermann was on hand to fire in the rebound into the roof of the net from inside the six yard box. In the end Schalke saw the game out and were very glad to see their pressure pay off and win at home after losing their previous two.

Goals:
0-1 Georgiev (21)

1-1 Kuranyi (60)

2-1 Westermann (74)

Schalke: Neuer, Rafinha, Pander (Höwedes 87), Bordon, Westermann, Ernst, Jones, Varela (Sanchez 46), Rakitic, Altintop (Asamoah 69), Kuranyi
Duisburg: Starke, Willi, Fernando, Filipescu, Caceres (Vrucina 83), Grlic (Bodzek 73), Avalos, Tararache, Maicon, Niculescu, Georgiev (Mölders 78)

All credits go to goal.com on this one. I may or may not have been sitting in an irish pub since six pm. I don’t know, it happens. It’s the holidays right? Yesterday was also six months exactly until my birthday.