week 25 - match report
Danish double sees Schalke to 2-0 win over Frankfurt
Schalke: Rost - Rafinha, Bordon (Varela 46'), Krstajic, Rodriguez - Ernst, Bajramovic, Kobiashvili - Azaouagh (Sand 66') - Asamoah, Larsen
Frankfurt: Nikolov - Rehmer, Vasoski, Chris, Ochs - Huggel, Preuss, Köhler, Meier - Cha (Stroh-Engel 85'), Copado
Goals: 1-0 Larsen (52'), 2-0 Sand (90' +1)
Attendance: 61,524 (sold out)
Referee: Kircher (Rottenburg)
Yellow cards: Asamoah (3), Varela - Rehmer (3)
Schalke 04 (0) 2-0 (0) Eintracht Frankfurt
Schalke 04 moved into a Champions League qualifying spot with a 2-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt at the VELTINS Arena on Sunday evening. The Royal Blues thus took advantage of Werder Bremen's home defeat against Hertha BSC and now sit in third place in the table. Danish strike pairing Sören Larsen and Ebbe Sand got the goals.
In the first half the match resembled a game of patience, with the visitors were content to defend deep and attack on the counter. But against a very alert Schalke defence they were unable to launch any effective forays. For their part the Royal Blues worked hard to create some openings, though chances were few and far between. Levan Kobiashvili was the only Schalke player to make a mark with two dangerous free kicks. The first, in the 37th minute, was punched over the crossbar by Frankfurt keeper Oka Nikolov, while the Georgian's second attempt a minute before the interval fizzed narrowly past the left-hand upright.
Schalke boss Mirko Slomka was forced to juggle his formation at half time due to a suspected hamstring injury to Marcelo Bordon. Dario Rodriguez moved across into the centre of defence and Kobiashvili switched to left back. His place on the left of midfield was taken by Zlatan Bajramovic, while Gustavo Varela was introduced on the right-hand side.
Yet the first chance after the break fell to the visitors on 48. Benjamin Köhler played a neat through ball to Francisco Copado and Frank Rost had to pull off a brilliant save to defuse his close-range effort. And instead of going behind the Royal Blues found themselves in front four minutes later. Rafinha played a text book wall pass with Varela to get to the by-line and sent in a perfect cross to the far post, where Larsen climbed higher than marker Marko Rehmer to head the ball into the left-hand corner of the net. The goal meant that Frankfurt had to abandon their defensive strategy, leaving Schalke space to launch a series of counterattacks.
The Royal Blues had luck on their side in the 62nd minute, however, when Chris got in a shot from a corner that Rodriguez cleared off the line. Thirteen minutes later the Uruguayan defender was in action at the other end, giving compatriot Gustavo Varela an opportunity to settle the match with some neat play down the right. Varela burst into the penalty area but fired his shot across the goal and wide of the left-hand post.
And so the game remained on a knife-edge until deep into stoppage time when the Royal Blues, who in the closing stages were untroubled at the back apart from one long-range effort by Benjamin Huggel that Rost saved comfortably, got the goal that settled the contest. Larsen slipped a clever ball to Sand, who bore down on Nikolov and struck a low shot into the net to make it 2-0.
