Schalke wakes up too late: 3:5 defeat in Düsseldorf
FC Schalke 04 are still stuck in the relegation battle in the 2nd Bundesliga after another defeat. The local club lost 3:5 (0:3) at Fortuna Düsseldorf on Saturday evening in the western clash and thus suffered its fourth defeat in the sixth game under new coach Karel Geraerts. Schalke thus remain in 16th place, while Fortuna moved up to third place in the table, at least for one night. In front of 52,000 spectators in the sold-out Düsseldorf Arena, Vincent Vermeij (13th and 26th minute), Felix Klaus (19th), Christos Tzolis (65th) and Jona Niemiec (90.+4) scored for the hosts, while Marcin Kaminski (57th), Tomas Kalas (74th) and Bryan Lasme (75th) scored for Schalke.
Two weeks after the 2-1 defeat against Elversberg, Schalke's coach fielded the same starting line-up with the exception of Ralf Fährmann, who returned to goal after injury. However, the plan no longer worked after just 30 minutes. The hosts, plagued by major injury worries in defense, surprised with a three-man back line, into which midfielder Yannik Engelhardt dropped, and two very offensive wingers.
Düsseldorf quickly found their rhythm and overran Schalke 3-0 thanks to Vermeij's brace and Klaus' goal, with the relegated Bundesliga side making blatant defensive errors. After just 33 minutes, Geraerts corrected his formation with three early changes and switched to a back four. This gave the visitors' play more stability and order. Kaminiski, Kalas and Lasme made it exciting again after Tzolis had made it 4:1. Niemiec then scored to make the final score 5:3.
Despite the defeat, Fortuna Düsseldorf's win against Schalke 04 in Bundesliga 2 moved them closer to promotion, temporarily taking third place. Following the game, Schalke continues to struggle in the relegation zone, with Fortuna Düsseldorf's Soccer team proving to be a tough opponent for FC Schalke 04's Bundesliga 2 squad, including players like Marcin Kaminski and Tomas Kalas.
Source: www.dpa.com
