Elversberg misses Schalke's next setback
Schalke 04 miss out on their third win in a row in the second Bundesliga. The Royal Blues quickly found themselves 2-0 down against Elversberg - even the equalizer was not enough. Meanwhile, in the top match between St. Pauli and Hannover 96, little happens on the pitch and then there are riots in the stands.
FC Schalke 04 - SV Elversberg 1:2 (1:2)
Royal blue disillusionment: FC Schalke 04 suffered a severe setback in the relegation battle in the 2nd Bundesliga. Coach Karel Geraerts' team lost 1:2 (1:2) against promoted SV Elversberg after a disappointing performance and missed out on their third win in a row. Over the course of the weekend, Schalke could still slip down to 16th place in the relegation places.
Paul Stock (7th) and Jannik Rochelt (21st) scored the goals for Elversberg, who continued their remarkable debut season in the second division. Now with 21 points, the promoted team is at least temporarily in fifth place in the table. Kenan Karaman (35) scored for the hosts. Geraerts had to change his starting line-up again shortly before kick-off: Schalke goalkeeper Ralf Fährmann had "felt something in his muscle" during the warm-up, according to the club. Justin Heekeren replaced the 35-year-old.
And he saw a catastrophic opening phase from his team-mates: After a solo run, Elversberg's Stock scored the early lead completely unchallenged, 14 minutes later Rochelt increased the lead to 2:0 from the Saarland's point of view with a great flick. The Royal Blues then showed improvement and Karaman reduced the deficit to 1-2 with a header before the break.
Schalke pressed for an equalizer in the second half, with Bryan Lasme hitting the crossbar from an acute angle (58'). Two minutes later, Elversberg keeper Nicolas Kristof saved Karaman's second header. However, the visitors also remained dangerous.
FC St. Pauli - Hannover 96 0:0
FC St. Pauli missed out on a win in the top match. Coach Fabian Hürzeler's side were held to a 0-0 draw against Hannover 96 in a northern duel that was briefly interrupted due to rioting in the fan block and are the only side in the league still unbeaten after the 13th game of the season. However, city rivals Hamburger SV could draw level on points with St. Pauli with a win at Holstein Kiel on Saturday (13:00/Sky and in the ntv.de live ticker).
St. Pauli missed out on their fifth consecutive home win and failed to score for the first time since the end of August. Hannover, currently third in the table, have now waited four away games for a win, but earned the point with a largely concentrated defensive performance.
The hosts only created one real chance in the first half - but it was a good one. After a feed from Elias Saad, Johannes Eggestein shot from a turn (16'), but Hannover's Ron-Robert Zieler made a strong save. Another attempt from Saad (36) flew over.
St. Pauli then pressed vehemently for the opening goal and repeatedly won the ball in promising positions. However, they lacked precision and composure in the decisive moments. The match was temporarily interrupted in the closing stages due to a disturbance in the visitors' block.
In the 2nd Bundesliga, FC Schalke 04's struggles continue as they fail to secure a win against SV Elversberg, slipping closer to relegation zones. Meanwhile, in the top match between FC St. Pauli and Hannover 96, both teams settle for a draw, keeping St. Pauli unbeaten but allowing city rivals Hamburg to close the gap.
Source: www.ntv.de
